Lim Guan Eng is a Malaysian
politician who has been Chief Minister of Penang since 2008 and
Secretary-General of the Democratic Action Party since 2004. Wikipedia
Born: December 8, 1960 (age 55), Johor Bahru,
Malaysia
Children: Marcus Lim Whay
Khai, Clint Lim Whay
Chau, Rachel Lim Shay
Wan, Ethan Lim Whay
ZenCritical time for DAP Leader
There has been widespread sympathy for
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng but he is under pressure to walk the talk
and take leave while he clears his name in court.
Fall from grace: Lim, who is facing two charges of corruption alongside businesswoman
Phang (left), will continue as Chief Minister with the full support of his
party. (Inset) The prosecution team is led by Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed
Apandi Ali
Selected Videos
Selected Videos
Solidariti Untuk Lim Guan Eng - Mat Sabu
Related links
The Straits Times-19 hours ago
A crowd wearing colourful red, blue,
green and yellow T-shirts joined Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng in
a solidarity march on Sunday ...
The men who hunt Lim Guan Eng
Malaysiakini (subscription)-Jul 1, 2016
Malaysiakini (subscription)-Jul 1, 2016
Lim Guan Eng should
walk the talk - Dr Hilmi
Astro Awani-Jul 2, 2016
Astro Awani-Jul 2, 2016
Not double
standards as Guan Eng's case a 'political conspiracy ...
International-Malay Mail Online-16 hours ago
International-Malay Mail Online-16 hours ago
Colourful crowd
joins Guan Eng in solidarity march
Opinion-The Star Online-Jul 2, 2016
Opinion-The Star Online-Jul 2, 2016
Lim Guan Eng joined by
supporters in solidarity march
International-Free Malaysia Today-17 hours ago
International-Free Malaysia Today-17 hours ago
IT was almost 7 pm 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 undervalued
“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 testily 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 partys 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.
Adapted from NST/Sunday Star/3 July 2016
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