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Showing posts with label Joceline Tan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joceline Tan. Show all posts

Monday, March 4, 2024

Promise of change slow in coming

 

Accusations of betrayal and unfulfilled promises of reforms have been flying fast and furious but, behind the scenes, efforts are being pursued to reali

 

Accusations of betrayal and unfulfilled promises of reforms have been flying fast and furious but, behind the scenes, efforts are being pursued to realise the pledges made.




Protesters holding yellow signs with phrases such as ‘Don’t get comfortable’ and ‘Clean and fair’ while chanting ‘Tuntut Reformasi, Tolak DNAA, Rakyat Bangkit’.

THE Bersih march to Parliament was a sad sight.

Once a powerful voice that was able to flood downtown Kuala Lumpur with a sea of yellow-shirted people, the rally crowd on Tuesday morning was so sparse it was almost outnumbered by police personnel and media people.

Cynics say it is living proof that Bersih was basically a vehicle used by Pakatan Harapan to overthrow Barisan Nasional and that the NGO has been used and discarded like tissue paper.

But Pakatan politicians are the ones who ought to be embarrassed for what some reporters described as “hiding inside” Parliament instead of facing the protesters.

The tables have turned and it is ironic that Pakatan is now on the defensive.

Only six MPS emerged to meet the protesters among them being Sungai Petani MP Taufiq Johari who said his party, PKR, has not abandoned its reform ideals.

“Don’t dwell on the size of the Bersih crowd. It is the message they carry that is important and we support that,” he said.

Taufiq pointed out that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also spent about 40 minutes in his Parliament office to listen to the Bersih delegation and also to explain that reforms are still his priority.

A year is quite impossible to implement the sky, the moon and the stars that Pakatan had promised during the election campaign.

Tiktok is flooded with videos of Anwar and also Rafizi Ramli slamming the then government over the ringgit and the economy when they commanded the ceramah stage.

Pakatan had promised to “save Malaysia” but businessmen are staggering under the shrinking ringgit.

The government is under pressure and DAP has been labelled as MCA 2.0 for their silence on issues, including the never-ending saga of the Teoh Beng Hock death which the party had used to inflame Chinese sentiments.

It has been a thorny period as the past returns to haunt Pakatan leaders.

Actually, Pakatan politicians said so many silly things on the ceramah circuit and their supporters have only themselves to blame for swallowing everything without chewing.

“To be fair, the unity government is now dealing with a bit of what each party promised because it took a few months for the new partners to find the chemistry of working together.

“But they have not sat down to talk about a combined manifesto, to tell people that this is what we will do as a coalition government,” said lawyer Ivanpal S. Grewal.

Much credibility also went down the drain over the preferential treatment given to the corruption cases of Umno leaders Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Ivanpal said that while the average Malaysian is concerned about the rising cost of living, the noise among the chattering class is on issues like equal allocation for the Opposition, political funding and strengthening the judiciary and the Malaysian Anticorruption Commission.

“None of the Pakatan leaders seem to be thinking about how the unity government wants to be perceived in the eyes of the public and Anwar cuts a lonely figure defending his government’s policy.

“The government is failing on the communication front,” said Ivanpal.

Investors and businessmen, said Ivanpal, expect an economic roadmap by now.

The mantra that reform takes time may sound like a lame excuse but legislative reform is not like cooking Maggi Mee.

Also, it is not that the government is doing nothing about it.

“We are working on it and we want it to be properly done,” said Selayang MP William Leong who chairs the Parliamentary Select Committee on Human Rights, General Elections and Institutional Reform.

The government has tackled the low-hanging fruits like laws on sexual harassment, child protection and amendments to the Suhakam Act.

Leong, who was also there to meet the Bersih protesters, said Bersih then under the chairmanship of Thomas Fann was the first NGO that the select committee met in April last year.

This was followed by discussions with more NGOS like Tindak Malaysia, Suhakam, the Civil Society Organisation, Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) and groups connected to refugee and prison reform.

“Everyone, especially the NGOS, have their pet reforms but we also have to prioritise. I told the NGOS that we are new cooks who have just come into the kitchen and there are 10 pots boiling away on the stove.

“The devil lies in the details. For instance, separating the Attorney General’s Chambers and Public Prosecution cannot happen overnight. We have to look at the legal side as well as the administrative implementation.

“I understand people are impatient that change is not coming fast enough but even when we buy a house, it takes three years to be completed. Let me say this – the changes we promised are on the way,” said Leong.

Anwar has turned out to be more lively than his immediate predecessor Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob. He is also less aloof than Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and certainly younger and more energetic than Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

But he is surely aware that the last time ordinary people complained so much about the ringgit and cost of living issues was when Najib was still in charge and that is not a good parallel.

Truth be told, the non-malays had wholeheartedly supported Anwar because they believed they were voting for a more equal Malaysia. It is a painful realisation that the Chinese tsunami could not deliver the New Malaysia they expected.

But time is on Anwar’s side. He has a supportive King on his side and another three years to work on delivering the change.


The Star by JOCELINE TAN The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.


se the pledges made.

Protesters holding yellow signs with phrases such as ‘Don’t get comfortable’ and ‘Clean and fair’ while chanting ‘Tuntut Reformasi, Tolak DNAA, Rakyat Bangkit’.

THE Bersih march to Parliament was a sad sight.

Once a powerful voice that was able to flood downtown Kuala Lumpur with a sea of yellow-shirted people, the rally crowd on Tuesday morning was so sparse it was almost outnumbered by police personnel and media people.

Cynics say it is living proof that Bersih was basically a vehicle used by Pakatan Harapan to overthrow Barisan Nasional and that the NGO has been used and discarded like tissue paper.

But Pakatan politicians are the ones who ought to be embarrassed for what some reporters described as “hiding inside” Parliament instead of facing the protesters.

The tables have turned and it is ironic that Pakatan is now on the defensive.

Only six MPS emerged to meet the protesters among them being Sungai Petani MP Taufiq Johari who said his party, PKR, has not abandoned its reform ideals.

“Don’t dwell on the size of the Bersih crowd. It is the message they carry that is important and we support that,” he said.

Taufiq pointed out that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also spent about 40 minutes in his Parliament office to listen to the Bersih delegation and also to explain that reforms are still his priority.

A year is quite impossible to implement the sky, the moon and the stars that Pakatan had promised during the election campaign.

Tiktok is flooded with videos of Anwar and also Rafizi Ramli slamming the then government over the ringgit and the economy when they commanded the ceramah stage.

Pakatan had promised to “save Malaysia” but businessmen are staggering under the shrinking ringgit.

The government is under pressure and DAP has been labelled as MCA 2.0 for their silence on issues, including the never-ending saga of the Teoh Beng Hock death which the party had used to inflame Chinese sentiments.

It has been a thorny period as the past returns to haunt Pakatan leaders.

Actually, Pakatan politicians said so many silly things on the ceramah circuit and their supporters have only themselves to blame for swallowing everything without chewing.

“To be fair, the unity government is now dealing with a bit of what each party promised because it took a few months for the new partners to find the chemistry of working together.

“But they have not sat down to talk about a combined manifesto, to tell people that this is what we will do as a coalition government,” said lawyer Ivanpal S. Grewal.

Much credibility also went down the drain over the preferential treatment given to the corruption cases of Umno leaders Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Ivanpal said that while the average Malaysian is concerned about the rising cost of living, the noise among the chattering class is on issues like equal allocation for the Opposition, political funding and strengthening the judiciary and the Malaysian Anticorruption Commission.

“None of the Pakatan leaders seem to be thinking about how the unity government wants to be perceived in the eyes of the public and Anwar cuts a lonely figure defending his government’s policy.

“The government is failing on the communication front,” said Ivanpal.

Investors and businessmen, said Ivanpal, expect an economic roadmap by now.

The mantra that reform takes time may sound like a lame excuse but legislative reform is not like cooking Maggi Mee.

Also, it is not that the government is doing nothing about it.

“We are working on it and we want it to be properly done,” said Selayang MP William Leong who chairs the Parliamentary Select Committee on Human Rights, General Elections and Institutional Reform.

The government has tackled the low-hanging fruits like laws on sexual harassment, child protection and amendments to the Suhakam Act.

Leong, who was also there to meet the Bersih protesters, said Bersih then under the chairmanship of Thomas Fann was the first NGO that the select committee met in April last year.

This was followed by discussions with more NGOS like Tindak Malaysia, Suhakam, the Civil Society Organisation, Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) and groups connected to refugee and prison reform.

“Everyone, especially the NGOS, have their pet reforms but we also have to prioritise. I told the NGOS that we are new cooks who have just come into the kitchen and there are 10 pots boiling away on the stove.

“The devil lies in the details. For instance, separating the Attorney General’s Chambers and Public Prosecution cannot happen overnight. We have to look at the legal side as well as the administrative implementation.

“I understand people are impatient that change is not coming fast enough but even when we buy a house, it takes three years to be completed. Let me say this – the changes we promised are on the way,” said Leong.

Anwar has turned out to be more lively than his immediate predecessor Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob. He is also less aloof than Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and certainly younger and more energetic than Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

But he is surely aware that the last time ordinary people complained so much about the ringgit and cost of living issues was when Najib was still in charge and that is not a good parallel.

Truth be told, the non-malays had wholeheartedly supported Anwar because they believed they were voting for a more equal Malaysia. It is a painful realisation that the Chinese tsunami could not deliver the New Malaysia they expected.

But time is on Anwar’s side. He has a supportive King on his side and another three years to work on delivering the change.


The Star by JOCELINE TAN The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.


Sunday, November 27, 2022

MALAYSIA MUST MOVE ON, Uncharted territory for Anwar

 

Great expectations: Anwar – pictured here receiving congratulatory calls from world leaders in the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya – will have to move fast to heal a nation sick of politicking. — PMO

 A New Prime Minister naturally brings new hope, but the goal remains the same - taking the nation to the top -Wong Chun Wai

Anwar finally made it through sheer effort amid chatter that a famous Muslim sage had foreseen his win and his Sungai Lolong house has good fengshui. - Joceline Tan

WE’RE clearly living in interesting but also strange times. When Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as Prime Minister, it was also nomination day for two seats.

They were the Padang Serai parliamentary and Tioman state seats, where voting had earlier been suspended following the deaths of two contenders.

Fascinatingly, Barisan Nasional, which is a member of the Unity Federal Government, is pitted against Pakatan Harapan, which helms the government.

They will face off in these two places. It will be interesting to see Barisan and Pakatan’s sales pitches.In fact, there will be state elections in Penang and Selangor in seven months, where the two sides will need to outwit each other. And if there’s a by-election in Sarawak, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), which has joined the Federal Government, will find itself in the same awkward situation.

Just two weeks ago, Barisan was accused of being a corrupt coalition, along with Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. The slogan being bandied about then was a vote for Barisan equalled a vote for Ahmad Zahid, who faces a slew of corruption charges.

But in the past few days, he has been heralded as a saviour who made the unity government a reality. We’ve been encouraged to look at the “larger picture” – a tainted man is now rescuing us from PAS.

Suddenly, all is forgiven and forgotten. Barisan is no longer a party for traitors who sold their greedy souls for power.

There was despair earlier, when at one point reports circulated about Barisan being in the Opposition bloc.

Ahmad Zahid was also criticised by his rebellious ranks for Umno’s dismal performance, but they then found themselves labelled opportunists instead, for previously wanting to back Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as PM.

Ironically, Muhyiddin is the same guy who campaigned against Ahmad Zahid and corruption on his Perikatan Nasional platform. It worked perfectly, as Bersatu, along with PAS, swept the Malay heartland and crushed Umno’s vote bank, including in the Putrajaya parliamentary constituency, which fell to Perikatan.

Malay voters had obviously forgotten this was the same man who warned them about PAS.

But having 49 PAS MPs was enough to scare off many Malaysians. Not just non-Malays who voted overwhelmingly for Pakatan, but also many Malays, especially those in urban areas. 

 

The fear of a “Green Tsunami”, as it’s now branded, with PAS theologians imposing its religious agenda, was just unpalatable for many.

For a while, those who gloated over Pakatan’s victory also privately wondered if it was a case of being careful what you wish for. They had presumed the rest of the country would share their political allegiance.

Pakatan was short of a simple majority while there was the possibility of Perikatan forming a Malay- and Islamic-centric federal government.

But God works in mysterious ways, goes the adage. Anwar, who was dismissed by many and seen as not fated to be PM, proved everyone wrong. He will turn out to be the best person to take on PAS MPs on the other side.

Anwar may not be a theologian, but he has credentials. He can quote Quranic verses with a smattering of Arabic, and he has plenty of Arab allies, too. Never mind his past controversies because we’re not voting for a priest or ulamak.

He is surely not an angel but a true-blue politician who will bend rules and principles. Ultimately, though, he’s the best of our lot.

It’s not easy to find a Malay leader who enjoys such strong support among non-Muslims.

But Anwar needs to work his charm on the conservative Muslims who voted for Perikatan. Like it or not, the number of combined votes earned by Perikatan, Barisan, GPS and GRS (Gabungan Rakyat Sabah) is much higher than those handed to Pakatan.

Meanwhile, PAS needs to take a hard look at itself to understand its optics problem. No party or coalition can hope to form a government by preaching to just one community or religion. It would be disastrous for multiracial Malaysia.

Politics is about selling hope, as Anwar successfully has done. The jury is still out on whether he will deliver on his promises to Malay-sians, so we’ll have to hold him to that.

Many of us who gave up on Malaysia and its politicians have found that, finally, we can recover what we’ve lost and still salvage the situation.

Certainly, our Rulers have placed their faith in Anwar as the man who, in the opinion of the King, can command majority support in the House.

His Majesty has allowed Anwar to put together a unity government in the shortest time.

Now it’s up to Anwar, as the 10th PM, to prove he can hold the fort and steer us through the many challenges ahead, especially the strong economic headwinds.

He needs to fix our education system at all levels, as it has progressively gone down the drain. It won’t and can’t be done overnight, but it must begin now.

There’s no time for vindictive politics or rhetoric, which scarred the 22-month Pakatan government in 2018 and led to unprecedented apologies issued by the DAP recently to close a chapter with GPS.

The lesson learned here is that politicians shouldn’t be arrogant or resort to burning bridges. After all, no one knows what the future holds.

Let’s hope we see younger Malaysians such as Rafizi Ramli, Hannah Yeoh, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and Steven Sim, with a balance of experienced MPs from Barisan and GPS, in the Cabinet. Possibly even technocrats appointed to certain ministries.

It’s wishful thinking, of course. If only Nurul Izzah Anwar, Khairy Jamaluddin and Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz had won. And we hope for more women in the Cabinet.

Malaysia must move on. We are simply worn out from all the politicking.

There is little time for Anwar to celebrate. Time is not on his side. We want to see results, and quickly, too.

Congratulations Saudara Anwar Ibrahim and may you succeed in restoring Malaysia to its former glory.

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Wednesday, November 23, 2022

From villain to ‘King Zahid’ to gain powers that corrupt absolutely


 villain

 "Are we supposed to forget what they said during the campaign? Whatever principles left in politics has been thrown out of the window” - Dr Azmi Omar. 

Ahmad Zahid has been caricatured as “King Zahid” and wearing a crown, with leaders of the two coalitions on their knees, begging for his support.


 Umno was painted as racist and corrupt beyond repair and Ahmad Zahid was vilified as a bandit, thief and kleptocrat.

Yet, both Anwar and Muhyiddin were going all out to get Umno onboard. It is unbelievable how principles have been compromised to gain power.

 A WEEK is a long time in politics and this could be the longest week ever as Malaysians wait to know who will be the next prime minister.

It is also a terribly confusing time with conflicting news reports about who has the magic number of 112 MPs as well as unverified claims that Pakatan Harapan leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had been appointed the 10th prime minister.

Finally, Anwar himself cleared the air outside the Palace gates, quipping that the post was still “vacant”.

Anwar, looking every inch the prime minister he is aspiring to be, was upbeat and it is quite evident that Pakatan, as the biggest coalition with 81 seats, has been given first option to try to form a government.

It is not an easy task and Malaysians will be on the edge of their seats for a few more days.

The irony of ironies is that Barisan Nasional, the biggest loser, has become the kingmaker that both Anwar and Muhyiddin are desperately wooing.

Barisan, with 30 MPs, was deeply divided. Some wanted Pakatan, some preferred Perikatan Nasional and some wanted to accept the opposition role.

The Barisan supreme council, which met yesterday, decided that whatever happens, the coalition will move as one.

Barisan deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan’s stand is that the coalition is ready to be a responsible opposition.

“Let Pakatan and Perikatan proceed to form the government since they won the most votes. We are prepared to be the opposition and to check-and-balance the new government,” said the Rembau MP.

He said his coalition respects the democratic process and the fact that voters had chosen Pakatan and Perikatan.

The election results showed that voters did not want Umno in the government. They had given Pakatan 81 seats and Perikatan 73 seats.

Moreover, the Umno base had imploded in anger over their president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s earlier push to go with Pakatan.

The Umno base dislikes DAP and has been long weary of Anwar.

“We lost half our votes to PAS because we could not defend Zahid. We will lose the remaining half if we work with Pakatan and we will be swallowed if we join Perikatan,” said an Umno politician from Kelantan.

The advantage of going with Pakatan is that there would be no overlapping interests in terms of the support base.

On the other hand, being part of Perikatan has been compared with selling “goreng pisang” or fried bananas to the same Malay kampung, that is, fighting over the Malay market share.

The long and short of it is that voters, including the Malays, rejected Umno and it would be shameful to sneak back into government by the backdoor.

The fierce horse-trading has been a rude awakening for many Malaysians.

The party that Pakatan and Perikatan had condemned throughout the campaign was being courted as though it is a beautiful virgin bride.

Umno was painted as racist and corrupt beyond repair and Ahmad Zahid was vilified as a bandit, thief and kleptocrat.

Yet, both Anwar and Muhyiddin were going all out to get Umno onboard.

It is unbelievable how principles have been compromised to gain power. At least with Mahathir in 2018, they laid the cards on the table for voters to choose.

“But this time, they said no ‘kluster mahkamah’, they campaigned against corruption. We voted for one thing, but they were going to give us something else,” said Dr Thor Teong Ghee, the CEO of a charity healthcare centre in Penang.

Ahmad Zahid has been caricatured as “King Zahid” and wearing a crown, with leaders of the two coalitions on their knees, begging for his support.

It must be said that although Muhyiddin reached out to Umno, he drew the line on working with Ahmad Zahid.

In Perak, Umno and DAP supporters are still reeling with shock over the new Umno-Pakatan state government. The two parties were going at each other tooth and nail, but are now cuddling in bed.

“Are we supposed to forget what they said during the campaign? Whatever principles left in politics has been thrown out of the window,” said political commentator Dr Azmi Omar.

Just days ago, the Umno campaign had slammed DAP as racist and anti-Malay.

Perak DAP chief Nga Kor Ming, on his part, had jokingly told a ceramah: “Buy one, free one. Vote for Barisan, get Zahid for free.”

Now that the joke has become reality, Pakatan supporters are scrambling to do damage control and justify the U-turn.

“Democracy has a way of humbling those who talk big. Some say it is hypocritical but what we are seeing now is realpolitik,” said senior fellow at ISIS, Eddin Khoo.

Even PKR superstar and Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli was not spared.

He had declared that he would be the first to speak out if Anwar tried to work with Ahmad Zahid. A photograph of him shaking hands with Ahmad Zahid at the Pakatan-Barisan meeting yesterday drew a flood of comments.

Putrajaya is a glittering dream and politicians will do anything to achieve the dream.

But the onus is not on the loser to help form the government. Barisan was rejected by voters, it belongs on the opposition bench.

The onus is on the big winners to work together and sort out the mess.

The views expressed here are entirely the writer's own 

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Sunday, July 3, 2016

Critical time for DAP leader, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng

IT was almost 7pm but the sky was still bright when a convoy of cars emerged from the underground car park of Komtar, Penang.

The only hint that this was no ordinary caravan of vehicles was the flashing lights and siren from an accompanying police car.

The moment had finally come after weeks of speculation. Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had been arrested and was being escorted to the MACC headquarters to be charged in court the next morning.

It has been a spectacular fall from grace for the DAP leader who rose to power on an awesome wave of popular support and who is known as “Tokong” among the Penang people.

Lim has claimed trial to two charges, one of which pertains to using his position to benefit his wife Betty Chew and himself in the rezoning of a piece of land belonging to a private company known as Magnificent Emblem in 2014.

Another charge is related to his purchase of a bungalow from businesswoman Phang Li Koon a year later at below market value.

Phang, a mysterious figure until thrust into the media spotlight, was charged with abetment in the property transaction.

Gossip and speculation about the nature of the charges have been brewing among the cafe society but everything should be clearer when hearing begins towards the end of the year.

Lim is not the first political head of state to have waded into troubled waters.

Former Selangor mentri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo is now on parole after spending six months in jail for purchasing an under-valued “Balinese palace” from a company that had business links with the state government.

Another former Selangor mentri besar, Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib, also lost his job following the Australian Gold Coast affair that saw him charged with possessing undeclared foreign currency.

The late Datuk Seri Harun Idris was forced by Umno to resign in the 1970s after he was charged for corruption.

Lim is also not the first to resist taking a leave of absence after being charged in court.

Former Sabah chief minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan clung on after being charged for corruption. He was eventually found guilty but his penalty was not great enough to cost him his seat.

But Pairin’s time was old politics and this is supposed to be the era of new politics.

The DAP central executive committee has given Lim a ringing endorsement to stay on in his job on grounds that “there is no question of conflict of interest as Lim has no influence or control over the prosecution”.

It is only expected of DAP to stand by their top leader because if the top man falls, the party will become shaky.

But it also means that DAP is unable to walk the talk. The party is famous for asking others to step down over issues big and small but is unable to live up to the same principle when it involves one of their own. It will be hard for the party to judge others from now on.

It has put DAP figures like their Selangor chairman Tony Pua in an awkward situation. Shortly after the bungalow issue erupted, Pua had said there was no need for Lim to go on leave unless charges were brought against him.

He was quoted in a pro-Pakatan Harapan news portal as saying: “When charged, then (the person) should take time off.”

But legally speaking, the Chief Minister does not need to go on leave even with these kind of charges hanging over his head.

According to a Selangor judicial figure, forcing him out would be pre-judging him.

“He can still chair meetings, make decisions over land and development and sign documents. He can even go on with that tunnel thing.

“But having said that, a politician’s life is not only about legalities but also perception. He is representing a party that lectures others what to do. Can they still do that?” said the judicial figure.

Moreover, the Chief Minister’s focus, said the judicial figure, will now be divided between his case and running the state. There will be complications as the court case drags on.

Lim may not have influence or control over the prosecution but as the Chief Minister, he has control over the civil servants who may be called to testify in his case.

It will be awkward for potential witnesses who are his subordinates because not many people would be comfortable going to court to testify against their boss.

His presence would also bring uncertainty to the state and investors do not like uncertainty.

Still, it is his call and he has the full support of his party including that of party doyen Dr Chen Man Hin whose reputation is impeccable.

The charges against Lim are quite serious and it is only natural that he is doing what it takes to defend himself. Being Chief Minister will give him that much needed clout and back-up to face the complications ahead.

Besides, there is talk of new charges in the works related to the Taman Manggis land and also involving a company with links to “Miss Phang”, as she is known.

But there is also another side to the story why DAP is reluctant to have an acting Chief Minister take over from Lim.

Lim’s deputies are Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Rashid Hasnon from PKR and Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy from DAP.

Either one of them could act in Lim’s place if he goes on leave. But the sentiment in this Chinese-dominated party is that senior state executive council member Chow Kon Yeow should be the acting Chief Minister.

DAP would look terrible if Chow leap-frogs over the two deputies. It would only reinforce the perception that DAP is a Chinese chauvinist party.

However, if either Rashid or Dr Ramasamy takes over, the party’s right-wing Chinese base would be badly affected. Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, DAP probably thought it would be better for Lim to remain at the top.

DAP leaders have slammed the charges as baseless and an attempt to topple a democratically elected leader. It is quite clear they intend to approach this as a political trial and to win over the court of public opinion.

A lot of Lim’s time will be spent convincing the public that he is innocent and a victim. Events like “Walk with Guan Eng” and “Session with the People” have been planned for today.

His supporters have tried to liken his dilemma to what Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim went through in 1998. It is not the best of comparisons given that Anwar was able to galvanise a whole generation of young Malays who flooded the streets in anger.

What DAP may have failed to take note of was that many Chinese intelligentsia have been wary of Lim’s leadership since the Mercedes-Benz episode. Lim had opted for a Mercedes S300L as his official car a mere three months after the state purchased a new fleet of Toyota Camry for the state leaders.

This was evident in comments by the Huazong chairman of Negri Sembilan, Lau Zhi Wen, who is as anti-Barisan Nasional as one gets and has often run down the 1MDB issue.

Lau’s comments in the wake of the court case have gone viral among the Chinese-speaking circle.

He recalled the early days when Lim flew economy class and provided hope for change and greater transparency. He said the people had longed for another Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat who was respected for his simple lifestyle.

But Lau said that Lim changed after winning by a bigger majority in 2013.

“Many said you grew arrogant, others still deify you. You changed cars, flew business class and bought a RM5mil bungalow for RM2.8mil,” he said.

Lau said he had high expectations of the Penang Chief Minister but would no longer speak up for him.

The Chinese vernacular press that would have once defended him to the hilt was also visibly neutral. The thing is Lim does not have as many friends in the Chinese media as when he started out as Chief Minister.

The Chinese vernacular media was instrumental in helping to propel DAP to power. They put Lim on a pedestal but now, eight years down the road, many of them have stories to tell about how they were treated by Lim and his staff and they are not pleasant stories.

The same goes for some of the lawyers watching the drama at the Penang courts on Thursday. A few years ago, they would have come out for him but on that day, their response was: “Let justice take its course.”

DAP is hopeful and confident that the court case will swing sympathy and support towards Lim and arrest the resurgence of support for Barisan.

They are painting their secretary-general as a victim of selective prosecution. Lim has also been trying to tug at the heartstrings with famous sayings that he would prefer to die standing than live on bended knees, and playing up his overnight detention at the MACC headquarters.

The court case proper has yet to start but the court of public opinion is already in session.



By Joceline Tan



Who's is who?


Judge: Judicial Commissioner Datuk Azmi Arifin

Accused: 1. Lim Guan Eng 2. Phang Li Koon

Prosecution:
1. Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali 2. DPP Masri Mohd daud 3. DPP Mohd dusuki Mokhtar 4. DPP udiman lut Mohamed 5. DPP Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamarul 6. DPP Mohd Zain Ibrahim 7. DPP Muhammad Fadzlan Mohd Noorbr

Lim Guan Eng’s counsel:
1. Gobind Singh Deo (lead) 2. Ramkarpal Singh 3. R.S.N Rayer 4. M. Kulasegaran 5. P. Subramaniam 6. M. Manoharanbr

Phang Li Koon’s counsel:
1. Datuk K. Kumaraendran (lead) 2. Dev Kumaraendran 3. Raj Shankar 4. Chetan Jethawanibr />