Penang DAP in political turmoil

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Fake party comrades … Lim (left) and Chow

Penang DAP in political turmoil

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27, 2024: Penang DAP, under the “lack of intellectual or dynamic leadership” Chow Kon Yeow is in political turmoil.

What more is there to say when, Chow, as Penang Chief Minister, claims that he is still unsure if he has been nominated to defend his party post, despite nominations for the state chapter’s elections closing last Saturday.

No News Is Bad News reproduces below a compilation of news posted by The Coverage:

Lim Wants Chow To Exit As The Penang CM – Chow Urge Lim Guan Eng To End Topple Movement

26 August, 2024 

 

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has called for an end to an alleged movement to topple him.

However, his predecessor Lim Guan Eng believed that this was a matter that should be discussed internally within DAP.

The revelation was made at the Heng Ee Alumni Association’s 20th anniversary dinner in George Town last night.

According to Oriental Daily, a display board for the event had the words “回巢” (hui chao) – which means “return to the nest”, referring to the return of the alumni.

Chow (above) took the chance to write a similar word “回曹” (hui cao – return to Chow) on the board – changing the last character to be the same Chinese character used for his name.

The chief minister also used the term several times in his speech while urging his detractors to support him.

Chow reportedly told the audience that prior to the state election, there were various speculations of a “倒曹” (dao cao – topple Chow) movement.

He said this raised concerns about whether he would return to office, despite publicly announcing that he intended to serve a second term as chief minister.

However, the Penang DAP chief said he had overcome his challenges, and hoped that those within and outside the party would no longer seek to “dao cao”, but to “hui cao” instead.

He also called on the “dao cao” faction to “hui cao” soon to help promote Penang’s development and achieve the state’s 2030 vision goals.

He stressed that the Penang constitution had set that a chief minister can only serve for two terms.

“So don’t blame Chow for continuing as chief minister, this is a right granted by the constitution,” he said, referring to himself in the third person.

‘Raise it directly with sec-gen’

Lim – who had served as Penang chief minister for two terms prior to 2018 – was reportedly present at the alumni dinner.

However, he is said to have left the dinner shortly after Chow began his speech to attend another event.

China Press cited Lim as saying today that he did not hear the “dao cao” and “hui cao” parts of Chow’s speech.

However, the DAP chairperson said Chow should raise the matter through internal party channels.

“I need to know more about this matter, and (if there is) any matter, it should be handled within the party,” he said.

He added that Chow could also bring the matter directly to DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke.

Internal strife

Penang DAP has been hit with strife for several months.

Prior to the state election campaign in July, speculation was rife that there were internal efforts to replace Chow as DAP’s candidate for chief minister.

However, the party leadership ultimately endorsed Chow to return to office.

Penang DAP was then dealt another blow after several veteran state lawmakers – namely former deputy chief minister II P Ramasamy – were dropped from the party’s election lineup.

This caused Ramasamy and his followers to quit DAP while launching broadsides against a purported “emperor” whom they accused of sidelining those aligned to Chow.

More recently, Ramasamy and others have been critical of a RM646 million land deal in Batu Kawan Industrial Park 2 – which Chow said would be addressed soon.

Source : Malaysian Must Know The Truth

“As for those thinking of creating an issue (plot to oust me), I say better not because my position was decided by the party.

CHIEF Minister Chow Kon Yeow has urged everyone inside and outside the party (DAP) to come together and support his government’s Penang2030 vision, his brainchild that was introduced when he took office as the chief minister in 2018.

Chow, who is serving his final term as chief minister, has told those who are thinking of creating an issue (plot to oust him) to forget about it as the party officially endorsed him as the candidate to lead the state following the recent state polls.

“Before the state election, there were attempts to replace the chief minister.

“Although I was not replaced, I said there could be challenges ahead.

“As for those thinking of creating an issue (plot to oust me), I say better not because my position was decided by the party.

“So, under this context, I encourage all to come and work together with the government.

“We have many plans under the Penang2030 vision, but we need everyone to support the chief minister who has been endorsed by the party,” Chow said during a press conference at Penang Institute in George Town today.

Earlier today, DAP national chairman Lim Guan Eng, who is also the former Penang chief minister, called on Chow to provide evidence regarding those allegedly plotting to topple him.

In a related development, when asked about possible threats from external forces, Chow said he is focused on his role and the agenda related to the Penang2030 vision.

Source : Buletin Mutiara

DAP insiders tell of plot to oust Chow

Chow Kon Yeow’s revelation of a plot to oust him as the Penang Chief Minister is real.

Several party insiders, who spoke to the New Straits Times on condition of anonymity, said they were aware of such a plot, involving the party warlords.

“A big team is working on this (plot to oust Chow). And it is creating a friction within the party, slowly breaking the party.

“Party members know very well that this is a fight between Chow and his predecessor, Lim Guan Eng. The members are with Chow but the leaders are with Lim,” he said.

The insider said the controversial sale of the Penang Development Corporation-owned land in Byram to UMECH Land Sdn Bhd was the first of many more attacks to come against Chow.

“The controversial land sale deal is purposely created to make him look bad.

“There will be many more such attacks in time to come,” he added.

Chow has come under fire over the numerous controversies surrounding the land sale deal.

The PDC Board had decided to terminate the joint venture agreement with UMECH Land following calls to suspend the controversial sale of the PDC-owned land in Byram, in the Seberang Prai Selatan district.

Another insider said while Chow still had the support, he was showing himself to be a weak and incapable leader since the state election.

He said Chow’s recent statement, asking his detractors to respect DAP’s decision on his appointment, was a case in point.

During an event here over the weekend, Chow told the audience that there were people within and outside the party who were planning to remove him.

As such, he had called on his detractors to respect DAP’s decision.

“Chow must wake up. He must show his strength now or risks being booted out.

Meanwhile, Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Dr Oh Ei Sun said another round of power struggle appeared to be simmering and surfacing in DAP, with Chow making allegations and Lim responding not so kindly, both being not in line with traditional party solidarity.

“It is certainly bubbling.

“DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook should do his best to take the matter astride and mediate or arbitrate between the two.

“The concerns reach far beyond the DAP membership, as the party enjoys close to unanimous support of non-Malay voters,” he added.

Source : NST

Is Guan Eng fooling himself that everything is fine between him and Kon Yeow?

DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng’s dismissal of the view that he and Penang Chief Minister (CM) Chow Kon Yeow are at loggerheads by claiming that “such imaginary plots are manufactured by those with vested or personal interests or those intolerant of a healthy discussion of public policies that benefit the rakyat” is strictly for the birds.

Of course, Guan Eng and Kon Yeow are at loggerheads. More than just bickering, it should be as clear as daylight by now that Guan Eng is actively plotting to overthrow Kon Yeow .

I am not the only one to think that. DAP insiders think that Kon Yeow has already raised the alarm by saying that Guan Eng is trying to topple him. Granted that he did not name Guan Eng directly, I will go out on a limb to speculate that it is Guan Eng that Kon Yeow meant.

Guan Eng is no Cincinnatus. He is no George Washington. He is not going to give up his power and position to mind his own business once his job is done. He is a typical Malaysian politician. What this means is that he doesn’t think that being a leader is a job; he thinks that being a leader is his identity.

Hands are tight

If this was the old DAP, leaders like Guan Eng could have possibly been satisfied just being an MP and the chairman of DAP.

But DAP of today is a different beast altogether. In today’s DAP, slamming the government of the day is not only insufficient to make one be seen as a leader; it would even be considered a case of friendly fire because the government of the day is made up of DAP and its allies.

Today, Guan Eng can’t even fire at his favourite targets like Wee Ka Siong (MCA president), Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (UMNO president) or Datuk Seri Najib Razak (incarcerated former premier) anymore because they are all on the same side.

To make it worse, he can’t even open fire on opposition figures like Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Run Dr Mahathir Mohamad or Tan Sri Hadi Awang either because in the state of politics that we are in. He will be accused of raising racial tension in the country unnecessarily if he fires aggressively against these Malay leaders in the opposition.

So where does that leave Guan Eng today? Well, if Guan Eng is a person who sees being a leader as a job, this would be a sign that his job is done. He had led DAP out of the wilderness and now it is time to pass the torch to the next generation who are more equipped to lead DAP in its next stage of evolution.

Guan Eng behaving like Tun M?

But since Guan Eng is not such a leader, he is likely going to behave more like Dr Mahathir. Just like how the twice former premier expects everybody he appointed to be perpetually “grateful” to him and still treat him like the alpha male of the group, Guan Eng will also expect the same.

If those whom he deems should be grateful to him don’t pay him obeisance, he is going to take umbrage, perceive them as being ungrateful, see their ingratitude as a form of betrayal and then convince himself that he has the right to topple them or to retract the titles and position that he has previously bestowed them.

Dr Mahathir toppled everybody from Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to Pak Lah (Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) to Najib because he believed that they had been ungrateful to him.

The chances are high that Guan Eng will do the same to Kon Yeow if the latter doesn’t give up his CM post to Guan Eng or toe the line to Guan Eng’s wishes. Guan Eng has to act in this way because without his identity as the DAP supreme leader, he is nothing.

At least his father, Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang, has intellectual credentials. After he gave up his position as the DAP supremo, Kit Siang could at least look forward to spending the rest of his life as a writer.

A likely solution

At the end of the day, you can never underestimate one’s ability to take one’s own side. Guan Eng might deny that he has a problem with Kon Yeow and even the latter can be pressured to retract the claim that there is a move to ouster him from his position as Penang CM but how long can we expect Guan Eng to live without being able to feel like himself?

Right now, the only question is how is Guan Eng going to oust Chow Kon Yeow? From what I can see, the attempt to oust Kon Yeow will likely come legally and by means of office politics. There was already an attempt to implicate Chow in a land deal.

From the passive aggressive way that Guan Eng and Kon Yeow bickered in the recently concluded Penang State Assembly, we can also see that Guan Eng will be attempting to portray Kon Yeow as incompetent, clueless and unfit to hold the job as Penang CM.

Even if Chow is clueless and incompetent, Gun Eng should not be the one to prove it because he is no towering genius himself.

They say that PMX Anwar is going to organise a cabinet reshuffle soon. If Anwar doesn’t want DAP – the strongest partner in the unity government to implode – maybe it is time that Anwar offered Kon Yeow a cabinet position.

Just because he cannot offer Guan Eng a Cabinet position, it doesn’t mean he can’t offer it to Kon Yeow, thus settling the quarrel between these two DAP leaders.

Source : Focus

Lim wants Chow to exit as the CM of the state

IT LOOKS like despite the bad blood between Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and his predecessor Lim Guan Eng, the two might meet to discuss the setting up an integrated circuit (IC) park in Penang.

Earlier Lim had criticised the Padang Kota state assemblyman for losing out the IC Park to Selangor along with two notable investment companies.

The former finance minister argued that Chow could have utilised Penang’s reserves to prevent the IC Park from moving to other states especially Selangor.

Selangor might be a bigger state to Penang in terms of land but lacks the image of a frontline electronic industrial state like Penang.

The setting up of the IC Park will enable the production of microchips that are used in almost all electronic products ranging from smart phones to components used in satellites.

Chow certainly missed the opportunity to ensure that the IC Park remained in Penang. No amount of coming in of other foreign investments in technology and high-end production could compensate for the “colossal” loss of IC Park to Selangor.

It is not that foreign or local investors are not keen in investing in Penang especially in the electronics sector but it just the crucial and aggressive leadership was not with Chow.

Soft spot for civil servants

The 65-year-old fifth Penang CM since 2018 might portray the image of a nice and pleasant guy but his problem is the lack of intellectual or dynamic leadership to see things beyond the “Neanderthal” ossified civil servants.

I really wonder whether the civil servants given their mobility have the commitment to make Penang attractive.

Unfortunately, Chow seeks to please them rather than to rely on his well-meaning party or coalition comrades.

Beyond the reliance on civil servants, he has the tendency to depend on the officials of the Penang Development Corporation (PDC).

PDC is an ossified organisation that has an enlarged bureaucracy that basically plays the of stifling innovative investments. It is just another land department in the state.

In fact, I have in recent times suggested that in the larger interest of Penang and its people, Chow and Lim should meet to discuss investment matters.

Apparently, from what was reported in the media, both have expressed willingness, maybe just for political reasons more than anything else.

Chow must also understand that he has ended up in alienating the Chinese business community represented in the Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce (PCCC). Currently, there is a legal dispute between Chow and Tan Sri Tan Kok Ping who is the honorary life president of PCCC.

Not seeing eye-to-eye

Chow has taken Tan to the court for making defamatory remarks in relation to the PDC’s unsuccessful land sale to Umech Land. I also understand that Tan has also filed a counter suit against Chow.

One of the reasons that DAP came to power in Penang in 2008 was the support thrown in by the PCCC and the pivotal role played by Tan.

Chow might have had differences with PCCC over the PDC’s land sale to Umech Land last year, but he was in no position to quarrel with the PCCC.

Chow has forgotten about the contributions of the PCCC towards the political stability of the state. I seriously doubt that Chow and Lim who is the National DAP chairman can patch up their differences political and personal differences.

Lim wants the DAP Penang state chairman to exit as the CM of the state. Whether Lim and the PCCC are together on wanting Chow to go remains to be seen.

All the PCCC wants is for Chow to consult them on the developments in Penang to ensure there is participation from the locals. Perhaps, Chow has not done this.

While I welcome the meeting between Chow and Lim on giving priority to the larger interest of Penang, I seriously doubt that Chow will be a changed man after the meeting.

In a more specific sense, I doubt whether Chow will emerge as an imaginative and creative leader to shed new light on the future of development in Penang.

It is such a waste of human resources if the natural advantage of Penang cannot be capitalised upon.

Source : Focus

Something is just not right in Penang DAP

To political observers, it’s not too difficult to sense that something is wrong in a political party, especially when its leaders start feuding in public.

Factional infighting is common in politics, especially when wealth, position and power are in play. The DAP is also not spared the ignominy of such internal strife and powerplay.

It’s important to note that no political party is immune to internal challenges, and differences of opinion are natural. However, sustained patterns of issues like simmering, unhealed old wounds which are common could indicate more significant problems within the organisation.

I have followed closely development in Penang DAP and could sense that most DAP leaders are very ordinary politicians who fall way below my expectations.

This saying is appropriate in this context. “Give politicians position and power and they will change” reflects a common sentiment about the impact of political authority on individuals.

It suggests that when individuals acquire positions of power within the political system, they may change behaviour, priorities, or values.

The allure of power can lead politicians to prioritise their interests over the public good. This may manifest as corruption, unethical behaviour or a focus on personal gain.

Let me say it as it should be said. Some DAP leaders are also self-serving, egoistic, and even corrupt. We have witnessed that some would even break party rules by accepting datukship while its national chairperson, Lim Guan Eng, is facing graft charges.

So, tell me. How are DAP leaders different from those whom we had joined them in condemning during the Barisan Nasional era in government? With a heavy sigh, I have to agree with others that some DAP leaders, not all, are no different from those they used to discredit.

In the case of the Penang DAP, its internal problems have been brought into the public sphere over the past few months. It was particularly glaring during the elections held in six states, including Penang, last August.

I believe that the rivalry between Lim Guan Eng and Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has turned into bad blood and it seems that the duo, once comrades-in-arms, are no longer talking to each other.

In the latest incident, Lim publicly chided the Penang water company’s boss at a meeting ahead of a four-day water shutdown this week.

A leaked two-minute video shows Lim, who is an assemblyman for Air Putih, calling for more tankers to be placed on standby at worst-affected areas in the state, instead of the people being put under pressure to store water.

According to those who attended the event, Lim was upset when the water company’s chief executive officer, K Pathmanathan, said it was the public’s responsibility to store at least two days’ worth of water at all times.

Sure, Lim has every right to tick off Pathmanathan or any civil servant but hey, it is the DAP which rules Penang and Lim should have been more discerning in his ways of dealing with the government.

After all, Lim was the former chief minister and he should know his way around officialdom in the island state. Then, what is so difficult about approaching Chow personally to voice his concerns or displeasure and get the anomalies, if any, corrected?

Or are the two DAP colleagues not talking to each other anymore?

Chow is also the chairman of the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) and one must ask whether Lim intended to put the chief minister in a bad light with his complaints in a public forum, whether closed-door or not.

Talk about unhealed old wounds, this Lim-Chow feud has been simmering for too long with no sign of abating.

Last October, Chow called for an end to an alleged movement to topple him as chief minister.

Speaking at an event, Chow told the audience that before the state election, there were various speculations of a “dao cao” – topple Chow movement.

But this has since been dismissed by Lim and DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke. However, it is not difficult to ascertain who was behind the alleged plot to topple Chow.

I have also heard that Chow is seen as a dull, ineffective leader. However, he is the Penang DAP chairman and chief minister and Lim should stay out of the state government and party affairs if he is not keen to help his successor.

Lim, as the party chairman and DAP veteran, should live up to his public stature and act like one. Do not let Penangites view him as the ugly troublemaker in their home state.

The recent leaked video has portrayed Lim as a rabble-rouser and street fighter, out to disparage the Penang administration and the chief minister. This has tainted his public image.

I believe that the public wants the state government to focus on good governance and the party should focus on serving the people. Just let Chow do his job, as long as he is the chief minister.

Source : New Sarawak Tribune

Guan Eng-Chow feud will test DAP supporters’ tolerance, says analyst

The growing spat between DAP national chairman Lim Guan Eng and Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow may eventually test the tolerance level of the party’s supporters, an analyst said.

Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs said DAP supporters have thus far turned a blind eye to the feud as most still see the party as a bulwark against PAS and Perikatan Nasional.

However, he said, there are bound to be limits to their tolerance.

If the increasingly overt clash continues, it could eventually wear out the supporters’ patience, such that they might (become) disgusted and not enthusiastic about coming to vote for DAP in (future) elections,

 Universiti Sains Malaysia political scientist Azmil Tayeb said the public bickering is unlikely to affect DAP’s dominance of Penang politics in the near term.

However, he said, Lim’s consistent attacks on the Penang government were not a productive use of his time.

It doesn’t look good for his public image.

The apparent feud, which first surfaced in the middle of last year, revived recently when Lim accused Chow of protecting the contractors and civil servants involved in a project to develop Gurney Drive’s foreshore after structural issues and damage to equipment were observed as soon as the initial phase was opened to the public.

Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said while internal bickering in political parties was inevitable, Lim and Chow must not allow their squabble to spill out into the public domain.

They should strengthen Penang as a DAP government, and DAP’s stance within the federal government. The internal bickering does not help DAP’s place within the coalition (unity government).

Azmi said Lim, the state’s former chief minister, should not openly criticise Chow, his successor.

It is unbecoming of Lim. He should let go of the state administration and give Chow more of a free hand.

Yes, Lim is very influential in DAP, but his time in Penang’s politics is kind of over. He should concentrate on the national level.

Source : FMT

Chow unsure if he is defending top DAP post as nominations close

Penang DAP chief Chow Kon Yeow is still unsure if he has been nominated to defend his party post, despite nominations for the state chapter’s elections closing last Saturday.

Chow told reporters he will only know in a day or two whether he has been nominated by at least two DAP branches in Penang, which is the criteria to contest.

If I have been nominated, I will consider (defending the post). In Penang DAP, we have two weeks to consider our nomination and to respond,

The chief minister said the nomination process was confidential, and he would only know if he was named after receiving word from the party’s headquarters.

The state DAP chairman typically holds the chief minister’s position. However, this protocol was not observed when Lim Guan Eng held the chief minister’s post for two terms from 2008 to 2018.

Last October, Chow reportedly claimed that people in and outside the party were planning to remove him as Penang chief minister. He later said this was due to certain issues, especially a land sale to a private company by the Penang Development Corporation.

He later backtracked on his claim, saying he was merely speaking about how things were before the state election held in August last year.

Before the election, there were rumours that Chow would not get a second term as chief minister and that Lim could make a return, or a candidate backed by the DAP chairman would get the post instead.