"My decision is motivated by the fact that Penang's interest cannot be compromised by any political consideration" -- former Gerakan deputy secretary-general Lee Kah Choon on his decision to accept the Pakatan Rakyat State Government's appointment as Penang Development Corporation (PDC) director and InvestPenang executive chairman.
So, has he committed a "crime" when he decided to sleep with the enemy?
Plain unprincipled or being practical in service of the people?
Looks like this question is now irrelevant because Kah Choon decided to quit Gerakan in response to the party's decision to issue him a show-cause letter for accepting the posts.
The story is here.
Whatever his intentions were, they did not endear him to his political bosses in the Barisan Nasional. They did not buy his case.
Of course, we have Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, in defence of Kah Choon. He said today that Kah Choon was serving Penang pro bono publico. Click here.
That's how sincere and committed he is, Guan Eng said.
Don't know whether that is being taken into account because Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said today that Kah Choon had put himself in an "untenable" position in Barisan Nasional when he accepted the appointments.
Not acceptable, Najib chided.
Former Gerakan chief Dr Lim Keng Yaik has called Kah Choon an opportunist.
And I say -- all he wants is to serve the people of Penang.
Does it matter if it was then with the, er, enemy?
Let the people be the judge then.
By the way, will there be more job offers for Barisan Nasional leaders and members in Penang?
By the same token, then, all BN supporters working in the State governments ruled by PA should resign. period.
ReplyDeleteKak,
ReplyDelete'Tis not fair to be calling him names, when he just wants to serve the people of Penang. Maybe, before they criticise him in all ways possible, they could go back to the people in Penang, and ask them if they have a problem with Kah Choon's decision. If they don't then there should be no problem.
'Tis my humble opinion
Michelle
Case 1. What happens when an ordinary member of Gerakan is offered a job in PDC?
ReplyDeleteCase 2. You are held some 'big' party positions and later resigned from all the posts just to be an ordinary member??? And later offered a post in PDC.
Just what is the different between case 1 and 2.....
Friends, Malaysians, Countrymen, now you bear witness to see how Najib, Lim Keng Yaik and other Gerakan leaders betrays the Penang Rakyat. They try to sabotage Penang's development, and why, may I ask, should we, tax-payers, continue to hire such traitors. Lets sack them.
ReplyDeleteomigosh .... does this mean that only ppl from the ruling party can hold positions, irrespective of whether he/she is capable or not ?? that is what i understand from all that were said by the be-end leaders ...
ReplyDeleteBN should stop being sore losers, we are sick and tired of all the mud slinging being reported in the press almost every day.
ReplyDeleteJust START WORKING for the people or get ejected the next GE!
Kah Choon did the right thing by resigning from Gerakan as his every move will be scrutinised if he stays on .... as in evidence of all the stinging comments by his ex-comrades in Gerakan & BN.
Dear Ena,
ReplyDeleteMost BN politicians are so steeped in bad intentions that they cannot recognize a good one staring them in the face anymore. :D
On a perhaps related issue, some types cannot accept that there are many good people with honorable intentions who are not muslims or aren't considering becoming one. Case in point this "cerita menarik" [no Source given] I received this morning which must be making its round in Malaysian cybersphere at even as I type this:
***
Cerita menarik yang saya perolehi dari sahabat2 di Kedah dan Penang...
Baru-baru ini Guan Eng (Ketua Menteri Penang) turun dan bertemu rakyat. Dalam ucapannya, dia kata dia nak jadi macam khalifah Umar Abdul Aziz.
Seorang AJK Dewan Ulama' yang turut hadir berkata (dalam hati), "Paklong ni dia hanya pandai sebut Umar Abd Aziz. Dia bukan tau siapa dia Umar sebenarnya. Dia pakai sebut ja kot..."
Tak semena2, Guan Eng meneruskan ucapannya dan sepanjang ucapan itu dia hanya bercerita kisah kehebatan Umar Abd Aziz. Umar tak ambil duit rakyat. Umar pulang balik peruntukan kerajaan kepada dia. Umar padam lampu kerajaan kerana anak dia datang nak tanya urusan peribadi dan berbagai2 lagi.
Dan Guan Eng kata, sejak sekian lama, Umar Abd Aziz menjadi idolanya. Dan dia berazam nak jadi pemimpin macam Umar. "Kini saya sudah jadi Ketua Menteri dan saya berazam akan mengotakan janji saya untuk menjadi Umar Abd Aziz."
Untuk pengetahuan, Guan Eng tak duduk rumah rasmi Ketua Menteri dan dia tak ada rumah sendiri. Dia menumpang di rumah bapanya. Bila Mohd Sabu tanya kenapa tak duduk di rumah rasmi, dia kata, untuk masuk rumah tu, ia perlu di renovate. Kosnya sekitar RM 300,000.00. Saya tak rela duit rakyat dibazirkan untuk kediaman seorang ketua menteri....
Balik semula kpd kisah tadi... Dalam sessi soal jawab, ada seorang hadirin tanya: Mana tuan tahu kisah Umar Abd Aziz ni. Orang Islampun ramai yang tak tahu.... Guan Eng jawab, dulu semasa saya di penjara, antara orang yang kerap mengunjungi saya ialah Dato' Fadhil Noor (Al Marhum Presiden PAS). Dan dialah yang membekalkan kepada saya buku2 berkaitan Islam, termasuk satu buku tentang Umar Abd Aziz. Bermula dari situ saya kenal tokoh yang hebat ini.....
Bagaimana kita orang Islam?....
Dalam pertemuan yang lain, Mohd Sabu kata, "Awak boleh jadi macam Umar Abd Aziz, tapi awak ada satu kekurangan. Umar beragama Islam. awak masih belum Islam."
Guan Eng jawab, "Tunggu ayah saya meninggal dunia dulu...."
Kalau ikhlas lah niatnya, marilah kita ramai2 doakan supaya makbul niat & hajatnya. Ini akan memberi satu tamparan yg hebat pd Karpal Singh.
***
Sorry i must say. At the point of BN view .... they do not serve the rakyat, it is the rakyat do the serving for them. Have these BN guys really changed ?
ReplyDeleteLKC incident is a test for Gerakan and Umno indeed. However, in the end we still see the same old Gerakan (the KowTau) and Umno (The hidung tinggi).
LKY, Dr Koh, Najip and Badawi .... LGE has won the game here. He had nailed down his politic in Penang for many years to come. In this incident or so call "tapping", LGE succeeded sending out a message to the people that he had no fear to have any enemy in his state, as he is trying to show to the people of Penang that he will runs the state gov clean and fair. Well, BN can claim that DAP is lack of talent or whatever, in the end of this drama .... Gerakan and Umno still a loser, DAP have got the people they want.
The game has just began and BN is showing sign of weak and not being able to match PR.
"A good general may not be the smarter man, what is matters is to having as many as talented man serving for the general "
Now that he has resigned, the issue is of no significance, anymore. He made his choice. But the choice was never a welcomed prospect, at least not to all BN and PR supporters. We have leaders from both parties expressing concern and disgust over Kah Choon. As what we have heard from Najib and Karpal.
ReplyDeleteI think apart from the aspect of 'working if offered' which is everyone 'bread and butter' of course; the matters of ethic and party principles, should not be subsided and completely purposely overlooked by someone whose previous responsibility as a leader in a political party was of helping its party and crushing its enemies. What more, when the party you held, needs you now more than ever, to strengthen the party.
Kah Choon knew what was coming. He should consults the matter with his party leaders because of his significance role and post within the party. Or better, he should had resigned before accepting such an unlikely invitation of such important post, from the opposing political party.
What will happen next time around if Gerakan wins back Penang? A change of heart then...for our dear Kah Choon perhaps?
if kah choon is such an asset to penang, why was he voted out???????? or is he not good enough to lead haha
ReplyDeleteI find this very strange. Here in America, Republican presidents do co-op Democrats into their cabinet and vice versa. When it comes to the good of the nation, then all political boundaries are irrelevant. No party has the monopoly of good people. There are good people in BN and there are good people in PR. Non-cooperation and not allowing anyone from 'our team' to help out 'the 'other team' even when we are 'out of play' is what we do when we were children. I am sure the BN leaders are no longer children. Can the BN people crying for LKC's blood please think of the country.... please?
ReplyDeleteAs for Gerakan, can it dissolve itself and re-invent itself as an 'UMNO Supporters Club'? I believe that was what one MIC branch did in Perak and it re-invented itself as a 'PAS Supporters Club'. Let's call a spade, a spade
I thnk Kah Choon has made his intention clear... He want to serve the rakyat more than he want to serve the party...
ReplyDeleteAnd I must respected Mr. Lim Guan Eng also, he wants to serve the Rakyat more than he want to serve the country..
This is truly Bekerja Bersama Saya bukan untuk sya... Hey that Motto should be used by Mr. LGE...
I wonder if the CM's post is offerd to Su Koon, will he reject it! Gerakan was offered a good opportunity to become relevant to the rakyat, instead they just obeyed Najib's ( UMNO's ) instructions and followed suit with the letter to LKC. When will you learn ! As for LKY calling LKC an opportunist, what do you call when Gerakan joined the BN...!
ReplyDeleteMethinks BN had given up a good opportunity to have a control mechanism by having 'their own peeps' in there. Idiots. And why must Kah Choon's integrity and qualifications be questioned? It's the state government prerogative. Can we then question the integrity and qualifications of say, the CEO of Johor Corp? Or the other states? We know they are not from the opposition. But are they any good? Are they with integrity? Are they apolitical?
ReplyDeleteOr all these rhetorics just to avoid having to appoint the better candidate from the opposite side in the future? And hence resorting to mediocrity within?
Lim Keng Yaik called Kah Choon a opportunist.
ReplyDeleteLim Keng Yaik's move from MCA to Derakan - Rakyat called LKY a opportuinist.
Not accpetable - chided Najid.
Equally not acceptable - chided Mahathir to Najid on his silence.
With Kah Choon's total break with from Gerakan, what is the gain for Gerakan?
ReplyDeleteNo gain but further batterings to an already batttered image.
Further confirmation that Gerakan can't handle matters on its own - still subservient to dictates of UMNO.
Further confirmation of Gerakan's failure to accept the rakyat's expressed wish.
Further confirmation of Gerakan's fixation on narrow political interests.
Further confirmation of the rakyat's impression of Gerakan's inability to transcend race-base politics.
Further confirmation of Lim Keng Yaik's influence over Koh Tzu Koon.
Further confirmation of Gerakan's inability to transform to stay relevant in this new political environment.
A sad commentary!
Lim Keng Yaik called Kah Choon a opportunist.
ReplyDeleteLim Keng Yaik's move from MCA to Derakan - Rakyat called LKY a opportuinist.
Not accpetable - chided Najid.
Equally not acceptable - chided Mahathir to Najid on his silence.
IT IS UNETHICAL PERIOD!
ReplyDeleteTHE NOTION OF SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE IS BEING TWISTED FOR POLITICAL MILEAGE!
IT IS DISGUSTING HOW MALAYSIANS AND THEIR LEADERS ARE SCREWING UP NOTIONS LIKE ETHICS AND INTEGRITY!
UNDER THE GUISE OF PRAGMATISM AND POLITICAL/ADMINISTRATIVE EXPEDIENCE THEY ARE SHOOTING THEIR MOUTHS IN ALL DIRECTIONS EVEN AMONG LAWYERS AND JUDGES!
ALL THIS IS BEFORE THEIR HANDS REACH OUT FOR REWARDS, REMUNERATIONS AND DUIT KOPI!
DISGUSTING!
Salam Puan Nuraina,
ReplyDeleteBoth Lim Guan Eng and Lee Kah Choon knew what they were doing all along.
LGE took a brave step in offering the job to LKC knowing full well that some within PR and DAP itself are not agreeable to this idea.
LKC took an even braver step in accepting the job, knowing that he'll be chided by both Gerakan and UMNO top guns for sure. But LKC is playing the game here.... he was testing to see how his party leadership will act. And sure enough, Lim Keng Yaik being the vocal critic that he is, has fired off his mouth. LKC has opted to resign, but aha! he now has the excuse that he was forced to do so... when actually all along he has already decided to abandon the sinking Gerakan ship.
The point whether is capable for the job and his honest intentions to serve the people of Penang, as they say... only time will tell. And of course, the other favourite cliche... there are no permanent enemies in politics.
all the police and army serving in state of Penang also have to resign ah?
ReplyDeleteUMNO has really lost their b*lls