Does CM Lim Guan Eng need to stand aside?

There have been numerous calls for Lim Guan Eng to 'take leave' because of pending investigations into allegations of his corruption in the so-called Pinhorn Road bungalow affair.

Up to now, the issues surrounding the bungalow affair have only been allegations because they're all accusations without any smoking gun to link Guan Eng and the seller of the bungalow with the sale of some parcel of state land, which incidentally was sold off under open tender.

The price of the house is irrelevant but the connection between the seller of the bungalow Phang Li Koon, Guan Eng and the sale of state land, as alleged, is not and if proven, will be incriminating evidence against Lim Guan Eng. 

Now, whether the allegations will eventually have hard-evidence to give them the required substance remain to be seen, but from our experience, we know that BN-UMNO allegations against DAP and Lim GE have been at best desperate politicking and in the worse case, utter fabrications.

An example of the last, utter fabrications, was in the lie in 2011 that Guan Eng's 16 year old son molested a girl, an American sweetie who had never even been to Malaysia for seven years prior to that shameful lie which apparently originated from UMNO Gelugor.

The girl was eventually identified as an American young chess master by the name of Anya Sun Corke. FMT reported (extract):

PETALING JAYA: Anya Corke, the girl claimed by pro-Umno bloggers to have been molested by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s son has denied ever meeting with him.

In fact, Corke claims that she has not even been to Malaysia for the past seven years.

“I have not visited Malaysia for seven years. I have never met or even heard of any of the people involved. I have never been physically assaulted in any way,” she said in a press statement.

“The only way in which my ‘modesty was outraged’ has been the publication of my picture in connection with these scurrilous and unfounded rumours.”

Such was the guttersnipe fitnah of some politicians - malu lah, bohong pun ta'ada standard, wakakaka.

OK, before I write more stuff on the continuous attacks by BN-UMNO against Guan Eng, let's have a look at the calls for him to 'take leave'.

The more correct term, well, at least in western democracy, is to 'stand aside', meaning the person, usually a minister, stands aside or away from his position, authority and ministerial powers.

The aim of the call is not for frivolous reasons, for BN-UMNO to syiok sendiri in sending a Pakatan CM away on leave, because such a demand for Guan Eng to 'take leave' every time BN-UMNO accuse him of some unsubstantiated allegations or fabrications, could end up being a political norm and a subtle tactic to prevent him from performing his chief-ministerial duties, an administrative sabotage so to speak.

Additionally, when will the MACC commence and when is it expected to be completed? Surely we (excluding BN-UMNO, wakakaka) wouldn't want the MACC to take as long as ... well ... until GE-14, wakakaka.

More importantly, we need to be acutely aware that the aim of a minister standing aside (or 'taking leave') is to prevent him or her from interfering with any investigative process into the allegations of corruption. And that's why non-ministers don't have to stand aside for whatever allegations exist against them as they have f**k all powers to influence or interfere with the investigating agency.

So tell me, is there any likelihood of Guan Eng interfering with the MACC investigation?

Mind, this is not to say preemptively the MACC won't discover naughty stuff but whether it does or not, its investigative process is unlikely to be interfered or influenced by Guan Eng - hey WTF, LGE is DAP lah and not UMNO, dumbos!

Now, say a minister has been alleged to have a wristwatch of some humongously Godzilla-ish value, way beyond the capacity of his ministerial income or declared personal fortune, then if the minister is connected to or has powers and authority over the investigating authority, he or she MUST stand aside.

Another example, if the PM is investigated on any allegations of corruption, then as the No 1 Minister who has enormous powers, he must stand aside until the investigations are over.

But for LGE to stand aside because of the stupid and nonsensical unlikelihood that he a DAP man can ever interfere with or influence a federal agency, namely, MACC in its investigation on him? Podah!

But wait, there is another cause for him to stand side, namely, that he might continue to do what he has been accused of doing, to wit, using his powers corruptly as CM of Penang to continue buying more Pinhorn Road bungalows in naughty tradeoffs of sale of ultra cheap land lots to the owners of Pinhorn Road house owners - maybe the entire street?

Possible? Podah again.

There is a third cause but it's not about public propriety or impartiality during the course of MACC's investigation etc, but an intra-party (DAP) requirement, but which I won't highlight here because it has nothing to do with public interests or the law, wakakaka.

To summarise, I don't see the need for Guan Eng to 'take leave' (stand aside). I know some of those who have called on him to do so are from the Bar and neutral parties, but that doesn't mean they have been correct. I suspect they have reacted in knee-jerk fashion without giving the matter much thought, or as I suspect, they want Guan Eng to stand aside as an exemplary model to someone, wakakaka.

But as I mentioned, standing aside is not and cannot be a frivolous matter as it will take LGE from his CM duties and responsibilities, unless there is a distinct possibility he has powers to interfere with or influence the MACC investigations.

Guan Eng has to always answer to Penangites on whatever he did, does and will do as a public official - note that prime/chief ministers of several countries had to cancel their leave abroad when something bad happened at home, such as natural or man-created disasters, thus taking leave is not a frivolous undertaking for a person who wants to be a people's representative.

The DAP and in particular Lim Guan Eng have been subjected to incessant attacks from BN-UMNO, examples being accusations of the party being anti-Muslim (this job has been devolved to PAS), pro-Israel or receiving financial aid from Israel for quid pro quo considerations for an Israeli naval station here in Malaysia (perhaps to circumcise wannabe-Jews and ship their foreskins to the Middle-East to be converted into chewing gum?), the fabrication of LGE Junior molesting Anya Sun Corke and the list goes on and on.

Even the bungalow affair started way back some years ago, so it's not new.

Then, Gerakan had alleged that Lim GE was renting his own property, thus insinuating he pocketed the monthly 4 grand (RM4000) official rental allowance for the Penang CM. Pathetic lah, 'ni Gerakan.

Lim's office explained that the CM had to resort to rented property because the CM's official residence, Sri Teratai, was not fit for occupancy due to bad condition and termites infestation, where repairs would cost more than half a million ringgit. Why the residence had come to such an appalling state, we'd have to ask the previous CM, Koh TK of Gerakan.

Ng Wei Aik, Lim's political secretary, shot down Gerakan’s allegation, saying Lim was renting a fully-furnished house for RM5000 a month, and clarified:

“As CM Chief Minister he is entitled to a monthly rental allowance of RM4000. It means that CM has to fork out another RM1000 from his own pocket to pay the rental.”

“We have practised the highest degree of integrity all this while even to the extent of making public the tenancy agreement even though this is only CM’s rented property.”

“On Gerakan’s attacks on CM’s rented house, it seems that Lim Guan Eng is the only CM or MB in Malaysia who is asked to explain his renting a house to stay as compared to BN leaders who need not to explain even though they buy houses, some like palaces .....”

Gerakan's allegations had been so pathetic, implausible and distasteful that I couldn't help but wonder who had been the muddled-headed strategist in Gerakan?

But wait, there's more, and worse to come for Gerakan.

Once the ownership of the rental property was known, Gerakan desperately switched its attacks towards the owner of the rental property, Phang Li Koon, alleging she had untoward business connections with the CM, thus implying CM Lim was involved in corrupt practice. And by default of those allegations, Phang Li Koon was allegedly also corrupt.

So you see, Gerakan and UMNO today are still singing the same old tune.

The fact today is that Gerakan and MCA have been wiped off the face of Penang's earth since 2008. They know they have to, must do something or they'll definitely face the totally unpleasant likelihood of being humiliated once again in GE-14.

And do you think the UMNO PM (after GE-14) will even want to look at them then?

So they are truly desperados lah, so much so they are still beating the same drums to the tune of 'Pinhorn Road & Phang Li Koon' because they couldn't find anything on Guan Eng.

And please don't mention Brussels because you never know what desperadoes may do to get at LGE!