The battle of wits between the Penang CM and the SDO

The battle of wits between the Penang CM and the SDO

Mustapha Ong, MasAgungKL d' Scribe

The recent media outburst between Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Nik Ali, the State Development Officer has been in focus the past few weeks.

Unfortunately, the issue is getting juicy and certainly needs to be resolved properly in the public interest. I hope both parties involved, the Federal and State authority, should discuss the issues professionally without fear or favour.

As I see it after having analysed the issues raised by Guan Eng and his sparring partner Nik Ali, the matter has been politicized by some Penang political warlords from both sides of the political divide. I wonder who actually is telling the truth on the issues, DAP or UMNO?

The Sun has reported that KSN Sidek Hassan has cleared the air and ironically it is about "the chair issue" that had resulted in the recent flare-up. But Lim Guan Eng said that was a non-issue concocted by certain individuals to discredit him in order to divert public attention on the scandalous issues that had involved certain state projects funded by the Federal government through the office of the SDO.

As reported by Guan Eng, he would not have stooped so low in his capacity as a Chief Minister to fuss over a protocol issue, when he was late for an official function in last October, and having his chair removed in the first row of VVIP seats before his arrival.

I believe Guan Eng is the least protocol conscious politician around and it is likely that he did not make a big deal about it and did not mind being seated somewhere at the back.

KSN probably was in a dilemma as Guan Eng had no opportunity to brief him one the real issues that flared up between himself and Nik Ali. I believe the administrative issues should have been handled professionally between the Chief Minister and the SDO, even before the intervention of the prime minister himself as well as the KSN.

In conclusion, the following issues raised by the Chief Minister are of public interest, namely the sand theft in Balik Papan, the botanical gardens arches that have been declared unsafe and resulted in the losses of RM150,000. They should not be ignored.

Under any circumstances, the Chief Minister has the right be involved in the administrative process of the State government and the local authorities within the approved laws and regulations.

It is no longer seen as a minor spat between two powerful individuals in a battle of wits in order to justify their respective authority, but without the political will to resolve the more important issues.

Senior civil servants should not be over zealous or challenge the state authority under the administration of the chief Minister, as that may affect the political scenario of Penang in the coming PRU13.

I believe the DAP will try everything possible to retain its supreme political base in Penang and BN will continue to destabilize the administration of Penang in order to recapture the state in the next elections.