mystory - 22 april 2008

news one.
"The Star: Bad move, Kah Choon told."

DS Najib said, members of BN component parties should not take up appointments in Pakatan Rakyat-led state governments.

(Former Gerakan deputy Sec-Gen, Datuk Lee Kah Choon decided to accept the appointments as director of InvestPenang and Penang Development Corporation. Datuk Lee said that he accepted the posts to serve Penang and its people. He also considered politics as history for him.)

DS Najib added: "Since it is a party matter, i want to know Gerakan's stand on this. as a matter of principle, Barisan doesn't encourage or allow any of its members to be working for the opposition."

Meanwhile, Gerakan adviser, DS Dr Lim Keng Yaik said it would be difficult for Lee as both Gerakan and DAP would be suspicious of him - "Gerakan will be wary of him as he will be promoting the agenda of the Pakatan Rakyat state government, while DAP would be guarded as he is still a Gerakan member."

Lim Guan Eng, Chief Minister of Penang - who made the offer, said the state government was charting a new course with Lee's appointment and he was ready to face any criticism as the move was part of the reform process. he added: "let us take the bitterness and unnecessary anger out of politics."

my comments:

Lim Guan Eng is either very brave and very smart, or very stupid. since i know little of him, i must assume he is brave and smart. (was taught to see the good in people unless seen or heard otherwise). he has made a shrewd move. a calculated gamble. as i see it, with this one stroke, he gained tremendous goodwill and approval from the public - the rakyats. for many many years, the rakyats have seen partisan politics whereby the ruling party and the opposition 'quarrel' on every issue - agree on nothing, disagree with everything. let alone working together. i believe many of the rakyats, especially Penangnites, regardless of political affiliation, would back Lim Guan Eng on this. am not too sure however what his party members would say. if they look at the big picture, they must support him coz what he did is for the best interest of Penang, so he claimed. isnt it the objective of any political party to serve the people with their utmost ability?

so the ball is in Gerakan's court now. also BN's. what action to take against Datuk Lee? if they do not take any action, then it is as good as saying it is ok for their members to work for the opposition. and therefore breaking/bending their own golden rule of not 'sleeping with the enemy'. if they reprimand him, some would say it is too light. if they expel him, that may further alienate the support of the rakyats - which something they do not want to happen. so what to do? very tricky indeed. Datuk Lee should know better and resign as a Gerakan member. make life easier for everybody.

my gut feeling is that, Gerakan would not take any action against Datuk Lee. Gerakan performed badly in the recent GE. and they lost Penang - their crown jewel. (it would take a long time for them to win back Penang. akin to what UMNO faces in Kelantan.) they need to win back the support of the rakyats - fast! they need to show that they are willing to work with the present state government for the benefit of the people - people first, politics second. plus, they may argue that those appointments are professional in nature and not political. as such, do not clash with BN's ideology. so Gerakan in their meeting this sunday may decide to do just that and let it be. if that is so, what is BN going to do? would they then 'reprimand' Gerakan?

(remember what happened to Datuk Sothinathan? In 2005, Datuk S. Sothinathan, the then Deputy Minister of Natural Resources & Environment, was suspended for 3 months as a deputy minister, for breaking ranks with the government. apparently he criticised the government in Parliament on an issue pertaining to the de-recognition of Crimea State Medical University.)

anyway, hypothetically, if we were to look at 3 key areas seperately- politics, economics and sosial, there may be room where both sides can work together. obviously politics is out of the question. but the other two areas should and could be explored. for example, if a PAS member is a recognised and respected scholar in islamic law and economics, why not appoint him/her as a director of Tabung Haji? or Bank Islam? or appoint a DAP member as a member of Social Institute of Malaysia, if he/she has the expertise and experience? if everybody can embrace the big picture and be professional, it may work. who knows. but someone must start the ball rolling. or has it?