PENANG’S State Legislative Assembly was not dissolved in tandem with Parliament for the 15th General Election. This was in accordance with the stance taken by the Pakatan Harapan presidential council. In all likelihood, state elections will be held instead in mid-2023. Penang Monthly feels it is a good time to inform its readers about certain lesser-known positions within the state government machinery, and what their tasks are. We start by inviting Benji Ang Ming Quan, Special Assistant to the Political Secretary of the Penang Chief Minister, YB Teh Lai Heng, to tell us what state assemblymen and their assistants do.
--
PM: Hi Benji, you have worked for YB Teh for ten years now – how many assistants do state assemblymen’s offices usually employ? And what do they do?
B: The position and function of an assistant are decided by the state assemblyman based on his needs. But generally, every state assemblyman’s office will have at least one office clerk and several assistants who will attend state government-related meetings, write press statements and file paperwork. They will also handle constituency affairs, such as working with the city council for infrastructure improvement, attending dinners hosted by their constituents and responding to emergencies in the constituency.
