This is the first time in the party's history that there will be a chief minister, state assembly speaker, state excos, municipal councilors, datuks and other important personalities among its delegates. The party's membership has increased by leaps and bounds.
Party secretary general, who is the chief minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng expressed hope that the delegates will focus on the achievements of Pakatan, especially after governing four states following the 2008 general elections.
Apart from highlighting Pakatan's achievements, I hope Dap and Lim will take this opportunity to lay down their vision for the next term too especially for the Dap led Penang state government. The party is expected to be elected for another term by voters. However, it is unsure if the coalition can repeat its 2/3 majority.
Lim has done an admirable job in cleaning up the streets and make Penang a better place to visit/live in the last 2-3 years. He has been distributing annual handouts and subsidies to a cross sections of Penangites. He has added extra dynamism and energy into the state administration. This is evident in his high popularity in the state.
However, the added enthusiasm and energy have not been their without issues and challenges. He was embroiled in a series of spats with Barisan Nasional leaders and supporters. Land issues e.g. Taman Manggis, Bayan Mutiara, hill side development, Penang port land lease etc. are docking headlines for the past few months. The most controversial is the party's apparent economic policy of using land swap and sale to fund public projects and development. How sustainable can this policy be for a land scarce state such as Penang?
Lim has done well in managing some of these issues but has been quite hasty to score easy political points in some e.g. the Taman Manggis issue which has resulted in unnecessary politicization of state land reserved for low cost housing.
I had posed several pertinent questions with regards to the Bayan Mutiara land sale but I was attacked by his political secretary for being "obsessed" with Dap and Lim Guan Eng. Ironically, I was quite close to some of the Dap leaders including Lim.
Let this be a good lesson for aspiring leaders in the party who want to fill up higher positions in the federal government later. It is not easy to take up a public office. The peril for taking up a public office is the need to be answerable and accountable for every public policy or fiscal decision.
I hope Lim and other core Dap leaders will spend some valuable time to provide us with some understanding on their plans for next term. Some of the areas would be:
- How do they intend to lead the state government of Penang for the next five years?
- What is the next key success factors for the Penang economy?
- How can they grow/attract investment and create jobs in the next five years?
- What is the state's plan and agenda for the George Town heritage status and preservation?
- What role can the party play in the federal government? How would Pakatan lead differently?
- If Pakatan win the federal government, how much autonomy through decentralization that state governments would get? Increase in allocations?
- Can Dap assure us that Bayan Mutiara will be a success?
- What's Dap's regional foreign policy? How can Penang and Malaysia reap benefits from the opening up of economic opportunities in Asean?
- What can be done to improve the current political culture? What's Dap's or Pakatan education policy?
- How can Dap or Pakatan do to improve the coalition's common understanding so the issues confronting Pas can be dealt with efficiently?
The party should not follow UMNO's footsteps in conducting their recent general assembly: plenty of noise but little substance.
Dap must prove that it can do as well as it can preach and walk its talk.
7 comments:
All comments must be enabled by the blog author? What are you afraid of Khoo? You claim to be independent blogger. Really? Come on. Give the rakyat a break. If you are paid by PR, admit so. Stop being a hipocrate. My earlier e mail was a test probe on you. Obviously by not uploading, just goes to confirm the real you. It is not that by being a PR blogger, it is wrong. Only when you deny vehemently, while the thruth is the opposite, you make a clown of yourself.
Hi Anon/BN Cyber Trooper:
Why did I enable moderation? Am I afraid? Yes, I am very afraid of the authority. Remember the amendment to the Evidence Act?
The amendment to Section 114(a) of the Evidence Act includes the following stipulations:
> If your name, photograph or pseudonym appears on any publication depicting yourself as the author, you are deemed to have published the content.
> If a posting comes from your Internet or phone account, you are deemed to be the publisher unless the contrary is proved.
> If you have the control or custody of any computer which published any material, you are presumed to be the publisher unless proven otherwise.
See? That is why I said you are a waste of BN payroll. You are not even aware of the reason why bloggers like myself have to enable moderation.
Let me give u a deal since you are so insistent that I am paid blogger. By the way, I have never been paid and Pakatan must be owing be a lot in back pay. Please be my collection agent and I will share with you half of my unpaid "salary". This is a good deal since you should be running out of job soon.
Khoo,do not waste time and energy on this type of pain in the ass assholes.Time and energy should be better spent on other more important things than these rats which surfaced ocassionally from the sewers.
Even spending time chatting up this ugly parrot Jocelyn Tan is better time spent.
Dear Khoo, give me break, will ya. Yep the law is as what you say. But the facts are the opposite. If you were to be charged as per the law,, trust me (though you don't know the real me), I will stand up for your rights and so will be every other bloggers, nationwide, be it pro Bn or otherwise.
If you don't have the guts, go back to what you are good at, event management. And only God knows, people like me will engage you.
How easy for you to conclude I am a Bn cybertrooper, whatever that means.
My request is simple, have it in your heart and soul the following, our country comes first Then our individual needs.
I thought and believed that you had an independent thought and crusade in making Malaysia a better place to live for our children and ourselve.
God bless your endeavours. Oh by the way I do like the way you narrate. Quite refreshing indeed compared to the other nuts who are endemic PR bloggers at all cause.
God bles you and Malaysia.
"Ironically, I was quite close to some of the Dap leaders including Lim."
So you are no more close to them now?
The Axe Man,
Where were you when Ahmad Abdul Jalil was detained? If you do not have the guts to even use your real identity when posting messages on my blog, you want to ask to be trusted that you will stand up for me and other bloggers?
Anon 3.25pm: No, I am not close to any of them now. Regardless of politicians or political parties, I will exercise my citizen's rights to speak up and stand up.
Anon 11.15Pm, I am having my conversation with Khoo. Leave it at it is.
It does not take me long to be rude to you in reply. But I don't intend to further this anymore.
I like this column and whatever common traits or misunderstanding I have with Khoo, I will sort myself.
If you have something to say, say it to Khoo as he owns this blog.
And to you Khoo, I just came back from Penang. Despite major development, especially along Tanjung Bungah up to Teluk Bahang,orderly growth seems to be lacking and the roads, same same story.
But that did not stop me from enjoying travelling around the island. The reason, traffic jam was bearable. Despite heavy presence of vehicles, the traffic moved, unlike 5 years ago.
Soon I realised, the reason was proper traffic lights management. Why can't DBKL think like Penang. Do we have to wait till DAP leader heads DBKL before KLites have freer rides?
As for your question, where was I when Ahmad faced persecution, good asking, Straight Talk- no where to be. And about my real identity, you will know soon when I am free to register with your blog together with 10 e mails (why not 20)address of my friends and business acquintance.
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