February 3, 2013
Penang: The Battle for a Jewel in Crown on
by Joceline Tan@ http://www.thestar.com.my
The choosing debate has as great as started in Penang with both sides dangling mega projects ranging from an subterraneous sea tunnel to a monorail complement to win votes.
THE spacious drift of Penang's prestigious Han Chiang High School has once again spin a stage for Opposition politics. This was a place where DAP reason a series of rallies in March 2008 which launched a celebration in to energy in Penang as well as sent a Barisan Nasional in to a opposition wilderness.
The DAP is right away roving high, it has a pick of all a government-owned halls as well as buildings in a state for a domestic activities as well as does not need to rent a propagandize margin anymore.
On Friday evening, DAP reason a grand fund-raising cooking in Pisa, a sports locus built by a prior government.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng is additionally giving Barisan a ambience of a aged medicine by denying it entrance to supervision facilities.The tables have turned, a Barisan is right away a loser as well as a Opposition, struggling to find venues for a domestic events. Barisan is right away a the single turning to Han Chiang for a big-scale activities.
Last week, a private Chinese propagandize was a venue for MCA's mega cooking which surprisingly managed to draw a full residence of about 5,000 diners. The food was nothing to shout about though a speeches had lots of punch as well as flavour.
It is no fun being a Opposition though after almost 5 years of Pakatan Rakyat rule, Barisan has lots of element to work on.
Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen w! ho is ad ditionally Penang MCA authority pronounced she was "still in shock" which a "Kancil carpark" during a feet of Penang Hill had to be demolished given it was so shoddily designed which usually a Kancil car could make use of a ramps.
Dr Ng is still riled which a Chief Minister had blamed a RM5million failure upon her ministry until she dug out files to uncover which a plan was designed as well as built by a Penang Development Corporation of which Lim is a chairman.
"The hill railway has broken down so many times. They censure a snake, censure a dog regularly blaming. Even a Penang Chingay it has been a tourist captivate for decades though we was sensitive a event in Butterworth was cancelled given there was a fight," she said.
Last month, a little Chingay groups were unhappy which Danny Law, a state 
exco in assign of tourism, had called off a annual Chingay competition after claiming there were usually three meddlesome teams. The groups approached Oh Tong Keong, a State Barisan Youth chief who then sought out a little private sponsors as well as managed to organise a event three weeks later with sixteen teams taking part. It was a slap in a face for DAP's Law.
The annual Dragon Boat Race was additionally scrapped last month after yet an one more drowning tragedy.Penang's tourism, Dr Ng forked out, is right away trailing a opposition Malacca.
MCA President Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek told a crowd which "when we come to Penang, we have to talk about DAP or else we cannot sleep." But a little consider he enjoys articulate about PAS even more than about DAP. After all, he as well as DAP's Karpal Singh reason a dubious honour of being a "joint No. 1 enemy" of PAS members.
Han Chiang is additionally a venue for a Barisan's C! hinese N ew Year open residence next week. It is starting to be big, a Prime Minister will be there as well as Penang Barisan authority Teng Chang Yeow pronounced they had no choice though to rent a propagandize field.
Strategic location
But Teng is such a domestic animal as well as a talk is which he chose a venue for 
quite vital reasons. For many Penangites, a Han Chiang propagandize margin has come to symbolize where DAP rose to energy and, by trait of that, where Barisan fell to a knees. And as a Chinese saying goes, where we fall is where we will climb up again.
Their request to make use of a propagandize margin had to go through a propagandize board. The house authority used to be a millionaire developer Tan Sri Tan Kok Ping who is known to be very tighten to a Chief Minister. Tan has spin quite a inciter as well as shaker in Penang governing body as well as a little businessmen pronounced he is obliged for a notice which a Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce is pro-DAP.
The choosing debate has as great as started for both sides.Everyone concluded which a new Thaipusam festivities in Penang was a many politicised ever. Politicians from both sides were out there mingling with a crowds though a domestic participation of a statute celebration was everywhere. There were lots of Rocket black as well as banners of DAP leaders along a track as well as domestic pamphlets left upon a windscreen of cars.
"They have a lot of money. we could see a pamphlets strewn all over a roadside," pronounced a Penang reporter. The giant poster advertisement depicting Lord Murugan alongside an similarly large image of Lim as well as several other DAP leaders was a executive articulate point.
Sin Chew had a big article upon it with a headline: "More! Tokong than a Tokong". The word came from a Hindu devotee who found a poster advertisement to be over a top.
"Both sides want a Indian vote. They have been a kingmaker in a few seats," pronounced a Penang-based Chinese journal editor.
Teng, who is additionally Gerakan Secretary-General, gave what many thought was an over-optimistic talk to an online news portal last week. His tinge was which Barisan is out to recapture Penang. He substantially wants to boost a spirit of his infantry given no ubiquitous would lead his infantry in to war telling them they have been starting to lose.
Teng has an ascending task. He is up against a many powerful Chinese politician in Penang today as well as a tenure "Tokong," introduced by Penang Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Mansor Othman to report his boss, has stuck.
Everywhere he goes in Penang, he is told which a Chinese have been still with a DAP. It is not which they consider Lim is you do a fantastic job; they can see which Lim is still articulate similar to an Opposition leader as well as he is more skilful during hostile than in administrating a state. But they have put him upon a pedestal as well as they want to give him an one more term.
Those who follow Taiwan governing body have likened him to Chen Shui Bian, a fierce oppositionist who was incompetent to discard his confrontational character even after becoming boss of Taiwan.
Over-optimism
Both sides humour similarly from over-optimism. For instance, a DAP strategist who claimed his celebration could hoard up to 40% of Malay votes in certain seats was thought to be hallucinating.
The being is which whilst DAP has up to a 70% reason upon a Chinese vote, a Malays have been still suspicious of a party. They do not see DAP vocalization up for their gratification as well as economic concerns, most less their religion.
Lim's Yuletide Day message upon a Bible emanate substantially resulted in sending more Malays using for a door. In hin! dsight, he had taken a self-evident a single step forward as well as dual stairs backwards. Pakatan already had a Christian opinion in their slot though in pulling further upon which front, he had cost his partners in PAS as well as PKR precious Malay votes.
DAP insiders confess they right away have usually about 22-25% of Malay support."If a ubiquitous choosing is reason now, they cannot have an one more purify sweep. The Indian votes have returned, UMNO has recovered a Malay areas, withdrawal usually a Chinese areas," pronounced a Penang lawyer.
Barisan's quandary is a retreat of which faced by Pakatan. It is fighting to say a 30% or so Chinese await which it has though unlike Pakatan, it has about 80% of a Malay vote.
Given that, DAP as well as UMNO have been set to reason upon to what they have. The seats shaking similar to a root have been largely those reason by PKR. Both sides have dangled mega projects prior to a Penang voters.
Last week, Lim unveiled infrastructure projects totalling a whopping RM7billion. They embody an undersea tunnel joining Gurney Drive to a mainland as well as 4 other main road projects which will take a island as well as a sea around it in to a age of super-highways. One spectator described it as a "most desirous road infrastructure plan given Independence".
Barisan has promised a monorail as well as transport plan, financial hub in Seberang Prai as well as a replacement of a giveaway port. It additionally promised to residence a burning emanate of affordable housing as well as revitalise a tourism industry.
Both coalitions have been additionally facing problems to reinstate old, sleepy faces with more winnable candidates.
Many Barisan faces who were swept out by a domestic tsunami still consider they have been winnable as well as want to compe! tition a gain. Teng will have his hands full in trying to put forward a convincing team.
Lim's quandary is even greater. He is an outsider who usually arrived during a Penang stage in 2008. If he tells a old-timers in Penang to ride in to a sunset, they will substantially spin around as well as discuss it him which he is up there given of their long years of blood, sweat as well as tears. No a single expects a incumbents to frankly obey their seats to a little parachute claimant with no track record in a party.
Moreover, a hunger to be a claimant is tremendous in Pakatan given which it is positive of being returned to power. For a DAP possibilities especially, it is similar to shopping a sure-win lottery. Only a saints among them will make way without a quarrel as well as there have been no saints in politics.
Pakatan leaders have been privately rather worried about a Barisan's "3321 formula," which projects Gerakan as well as MCA winning three state seats each, UMNO winning an one more dual seats as well as MIC one. Add which to a existent 11 seats which UMNO currently has as well as there will be a hung public in Penang.
Teng as well as Lim have been in a David contra Goliath situation. The loser cannot be underneath estimated whilst a powerful incumbent cannot be over-confident. Teng has spin a clear as well as present danger to Lim.
Joceline can be reached during joceline@thestar.com.my
Read More @ SourceMore Barisan Nasional (BN) | Pakatan Rakyat (PR) | Sociopolitics Plus |
No comments:
Post a Comment