The Star Online: Nation
The Star Online: Nation |
- Mega project under scrutiny
- DAP cousins rapped for not inviting Kulasegaran to speak at ceramah
- Ask, don’t threaten and jostle for seats, says Anwar
| Posted: 09 Mar 2013 02:58 PM PST JOURNALISTS covering the dialogue on Penang's latest mega project were surprised for two reasons. One was that Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng decided to let them sit in at a private meeting between him and the coalition of civil society NGOs known as the Penang Forum. "Hats off to him for that," said one reporter. The second reason was the way the NGOs spoke their mind on Guan Eng's push for the most ambitious project ever proposed for Penang – an undersea tunnel and highways package estimated at RM6.3bil. Reporters have had the impression since 2008 that many local NGOs and particularly the Penang Forum had thrown their support behind Pakatan Rakyat and Guan Eng. In fact, the joke among some Penang reporters was that Penang NGOs had acquired a trait associated with former Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon – they had become "bo hoot liulian," that is, seedless durians, a Hokkien term used to describe people without guts. Some said it was because they were part of the wave that swept Pakatan into power in Penang. Besides, a number of the Penang Forum figures have been co-opted into state working committees and made councillors in the local government. One of them has even been appointed a director on the Penang Water Authority while Dr Arrifin Omar, a leading figure in the Aliran NGO, is now a DAP-nominated Senator. They have become embedded in the Pakatan administration and that has compromised their role as an independent voice in Penang. The Penang Forum can still bark but the bite is gone. Others claimed that like many people, the NGOs were afraid of getting on the wrong side of Guan Eng. If he does not like something, he can come down on you like a tonne of bricks and the DAP cybertroopers will then tear you to shreds. "For the longest time, it was tough to get reactions from them, especially on issues not favourable to the state government. But at the meeting, they did not mince their words, they told him there was no need (for the project), they did not want it," said the above reporter. The NGOs told him Penang does not need more highways or major infrastructure but it needs a good public transport system. They asked for an independent and detailed environmental impact assessment to be done on the project before it goes ahead. When Guan Eng told them public transport is the responsibility of the federal government, they told him there was no need to rush, that he should wait a while more till he gets to Putrajaya and is able to make policies on public transport. But it was still very much "friendly fire". Make no mistake, these NGOs are still solidly for Pakatan even though they are opposed to Guan Eng's mega project. One of them told him during the meeting, the the state government should not equate their opposition to Barisan to blanket support for every single state policy dished out. Actually, the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) was the first NGO to speak up when news about the undersea tunnel broke last year. But CAP president S.M. Mohd Idris was a lone voice then and the DAP cybertroopers went for him, calling him all kinds of names and telling him, "mamak, shut up." None of the NGOs in the Penang Forum came to Idris' defence or backed up his stand and that was when CAP decided to have nothing more to do with the group. The Penang Forum asked to meet the Chief Minister only after he announced about a fortnight ago that the tunnel-and-highway project had been awarded. It was probably a bit too late in the day. "That was a shock to all of us, to hear that the project was on. I've no idea where the tunnel idea comes from," said Dr S.P. Choong, a heritage advocate and Penang Forum member. The Penang Transport Masterplan is still in the draft stage but those privy to it said "there is no tunnel in the masterplan". Dr Choong's concern is that more highways will only bring more cars into the already congested island. "I can't imagine what Penang is going to be like. It certainly won't be the liveable city that we have been talking about because a liveable city needs a different kind of development," said Dr Choong. It has been like one long Valentine's Day between the Penang Forum and Guan Eng since 2008 but some in the ruling coalition are getting a bit impatient with the demanding ways of the NGOs. They find the NGOs too self-centric and even elitist in their vision of what Penang island should be like. The Pakatan government is getting a taste of what their predecessor went through and they are starting to find it rather tiresome. "We welcome feedback but they should not act like they know everything. We are trying to think and plan ahead for the people," said a DAP wakil rakyat. Pakatan politicians think they know the voters better and they say the NGOs do not necessarily reflect what ordinary Penangites want. In fact, the above DAP wakil rakyat had this to say about some of the NGOs: "What would they know about what people on the ground think? One lives in a glass castle, another lives on top of the hill and another lives on public donations." The Pakatan side insists that far from congesting the island, the proposed infrastructure will take traffic off the island and make the mainland more attractive as a place to live. Guan Eng is not only preparing to enter his second term but he has his eye on a third term and he thinks big projects will help carry him. Moreover, one of the reasons Penangites sent Dr Koh packing was that he failed to bring development to the state and Guan Eng wants to avoid the same fate. Pakatan is very confident of Penang or else their politicians would not be saying things like: If you don't agree with our idea, then go on voting Barisan. Only a party very sure of winning would talk like that. Besides, what good is a huge mandate if you cannot have things your way? It also looks like Guan Eng intends to use the general election as a referendum on the project because he has said he is leaving it to the people to decide. The NGOs say that is not right because not everyone is a voter whereas the mega project will impact all Penangites. Yet, these very same NGOs had used the controversial Penang Global City Centre project as a referendum of sorts against the Barisan in 2008. In 1990, a campaign by NGOs against a proposed theme park on Penang Hill contributed to the defeat of then Chief Minister Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu. According to Penangite and public policy expert Khoo Kay Peng, Pakatan is doing exactly what they used to accuse Barisan of – going for big time projects without prior consultation with interest groups. Khoo is arguably the most independent commentator on Penang affairs today and he has some very probing postings in his blog on the tunnel-and-highway project. "I hope more people will express their opinion because Penang cannot go on like this. The project will affect the whole island. I don't have much faith in the Penang Forum. They will make some noise but it will not become a campaign because of their political inclination," said Khoo. Questions have also been raised about the way the tender was awarded and the companies who won the project. This is a multi billion ringgit venture with long-term implications and there are simply too many questions and not enough answers. "I expect things to get hotter when more details are available," said a Penang lawyer. Many people have yet to be convinced that Penang needs a third link given that the second link is still in the process of being constructed. They are not convinced that the project will improve their lives or that it will make Penang more liveable. Instead, all they can visualise is more cars on the island's roads, sky-high house prices and having to say goodbye to Gurney Drive which lies smack in the way of the project. They think Guan Eng is trying to pull off in five years what Chong Eu took more than a decade to do. Chong Eu implemented the Penang Bridge only in his third term. The DAP has come a full circle in the Penang scheme of things. Back in the 1980s, Guan Eng's father Kit Siang had been at the forefront of opposing the Penang Bridge. There was even some sort of Anti-Penang Bridge or ABC campaign. The elder Lim had said it would be a white elephant. His son is now trying to pull off something bigger and more costly. As expected, there is no more talk about white elephants among DAP leaders. But people outside the party are calling the tunnel a "stroking the ego" thing. They see it as a "legacy project" and it will be Guan Eng's "Komtar". Guan Eng looks unstoppable at this point in time. The momentum on the island is still with him. But he is unlikely to win as big a mandate as in 2008 and that is why he wants to push through this big infrastructure project as quickly as possible. "If he wins, it means all guns firing for the project," said the above reporter. |
| DAP cousins rapped for not inviting Kulasegaran to speak at ceramah Posted: 09 Mar 2013 02:58 PM PST PETALING JAYA: The long-standing feud between Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran, state party chairman Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham and secretary Nga Kor Ming was reignited when the former went on a Twitter rampage alluding to conspiracy and corruption. It is believed that Kulasegaran's disappointment was triggered after not being invited to speak at a ceramah with Ngeh and Nga on Friday night, even though it was held in his constituency. "People ask me if I am speaking in Ipoh today in my constituency Ipoh Barat. What do I need to say? Factional! "They can run down my community and say they are bought over by money, mutton, alcohol," Kulasegaran tweeted while the ceramah was taking place. He was referring to recent allegations that Ngeh insulted the Indian community by implying they can be "bought over," which he has denied. He also threatened to speak out against unnamed party leaders, although it was clear that he was referring to the two cousins. "Some party leaders are oblivious. Bro, Perak politics will explode if I start speaking. Matter of time only. "I joined DAP with clear conviction. Don't test M Kula," he said. "We made history five years ago today. Many have changed for better but some are involved in business like 'tailor gate'. Can avoid?" he asked, referring to accusations that Perak assemblymen and a councillor were pressured to make their suits with a tailoring company linked to a state exco in 2008. When contacted, Kulasegaran refused to comment further, claiming that he has been instructed not to speak to the press about the matter. Meanwhile, Ngeh, who is also Beruas MP, said that Kulasegaran should have voiced his disappointment with the ceramah organiser. He also reiterated that he had not insulted the Indian community. Ngeh said there was no truth in the rumour that he was trying to oust Ku-lasegaran from his parliamentary seat which he has held for two terms. Kulasegaran has vented his frustrations over Twitter before. In October 2010, he said that he was fed-up with the state party leadership and would resign from his position as deputy chairman. However, he changed his mind the next day. |
| Ask, don’t threaten and jostle for seats, says Anwar Posted: 09 Mar 2013 02:58 PM PST GEORGE TOWN: Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim slammed those threatening and jostling for seats within Pakatan Rakyat as "having shallow minds". Admitting that there were threats and lobbying for seats within the coalition, he said it occurred mostly at the grassroots level. "One should not threaten for seats but one can request for it," Anwar said at the Penang Pakatan convention at Komtar here yesterday. Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng announced that the theme for the state Pakatan manifesto was "Safer, Cleaner, Greener and Healthier Penang" but much of the focus at the event was the surprisingly dismal turnout. Although about 1,000 members of the DAP, PKR and PAS were expected to attend, there were at most only about 500 attending the event in the morning. The crowd dwindled progressively after Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng spoke. After Anwar's speech, there were only about 200 people left. Lim said the members were tired due to the tight schedule. "Why do you want to focus on the numbers?" he asked when questioned about the poor turnout. Meanwhile, in SUNGAI PETANI, about 100 PKR members staged a demonstration, calling for an Indian candidate to be named for the Bukit Selambau state seat. The group's spokesman S. Muthu, 38, said the members were unhappy over rumours that Kedah PKR deputy chairman Senator Zamri Yusuf had been picked. PKR's Datuk S. Manikumar currently holds the seat. |
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