Jeff Ooi & Penang's 'Desperate Housewives'

After the recent general election I thought former CM Koh Tsu Koon had behaved like a gentleman in the manner in which he had conducted the handing over of his CM-ship to incoming Lim Guan Eng. I then made a promise not to call him R.B. anymore.

He further impressed me when he advised or appealed to (whichever you prefer) the PM to continue the mega projects such as the 2nd bridge.

Beautiful words like bipartisanship, working for the people of Penang, 'a gentleman of a politician' all sprang happily to mind.

Though the current Penang motto is ‘Bersatu dan Setia’ (United and Loyal), it was formerly ‘Let Penang Lead’, but Uncle told me that he remembered it as ‘Leading we serve’. And I thought, how appropriate that it fell upon a Penangite, the Island’s former CM (despite his obsequious and sycophantic behaviour towards his UMNO counterparts) to show the way with a new dawn of gentlemanly and civilised politics.

Alas, when I read in Malaysiakini about Lim Guan Eng bemoaning Bunga Tanjung should have been handed over, I grew mad again at the dog-in-the-manger attitude of the former office holders of Bunga Tanjung, and the Pertubuhan’s advisor, Koh TK.

The Pertubuhan Bunga Tanjung is a non-government body meant for wives of state assemblypersons and members of both the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara from the ruling party, and not an association exclusively for the spouses of BN state assemblypersons and parliament representatives in Penang.

Lim GE stated that the club should not have been dissolved as it had been by its former president Chui Kah Peng, the wife of Koh.

At its last meeting, Chui with 45 members did a nasty by dissolving Pertubuhan Bunga Tanjung as if the incoming DAP ADUNs and their political allies, the new ruling party, were all bachelor boys (perhaps, much as a few might have wished wistfully ha ha ha!).

And apparently she did it after the DAP-led coalition had already won the State election and became its new government, making it (and not the BN) the State's ruling party.

And what had been the consequences of that mean-spirited and alleged illegal dissolution of Bunga Tanjung?

Well, Bunga Tanjung turned into Lallang Tanjung and gave away all its funds to a host of organizations in an arrogant scorched-earth conduct.

Malaysiakini reported that “The Association of Wives of Federal Ministers and Deputy Ministers or Bakti was the biggest recipient with RM550,000 while the Bureau on Learning Difficulties (Bold) received RM220,000 to support the Bold-Bunga Tanjung Centre activities in Penang mainland. The remaining RM20,665 was distributed among three organisations – Penang Cheshire Home, Mental Health Association of Penang and Mount Miriam Hospital.”

I don’t mind so much the monetary gifts to charitable organisations like the Penang Cheshire Home, Mental Health Association of Penang and Mount Miriam Hospital. But I believe the money ‘given’ to Bakti must be recovered as it was not for Chui to give away in the first place.

Helllooooo Chui, your husband and his Gerakan ADUNs including MCA ones were wiped out, totally. So we are all wondering how you could have acted as President of the Pertubuhan Bunga Tanjung when your husband was not even an ADUN, let alone being in the State's ruling party?

Thus Lim GE demanded that Koh, as the former CM-advisor of the club, bloody well explain. Yes, how could a non member of Bunga Tanjung donate the Pertubuhan’s funds away like Russians burning Moscow before the advance of the German Wehrmacht in Ops Barbarossa.

Lim said: "We want Bunga Tanjung advisor not to hide behind the skirt, but to come out in open to explain." Aiyoyo, Ah Koon ;-)

"The BN wives may have not thought that their husbands would lose power and we too never thought we would wrest power.”

"Well it happened, thanks to the political tsunami on March 8 polls. So ideally the association should have been handed over to us and indeed I should be its advisor by virtue of its constitution."

Lim’s chief of staff Ooi Chuan Ann [BTW, he’s better known as Jeff Ooi] had labelled Chui and the other members as "desperate housewives" on his blog. Wow, did he mean they are like those ‘wives’ on the TV series?

But Chui was less than impressed with Jeff's description, deciding that attack would be the best form of defence. She has challenged both Lim and Ooi to a public debate on the matter and gave them 48 hours to respond.

Wow, I hope Jeff won’t get sued again ;-) but this lady is what Penangites would described as cheen chnea ock ay (garang or fierce).

Koh rejected Lim GE’s call for him to explain, saying he does not owe Lim any explanation and that he has full confidence in his wife and her colleagues to handle the matter.

Now, did he mean 'full confidence' in his wife’s ability to debate or in the giving away of funds which, according to Lim GE’s reading of the Pertubuhan’s constitution, wasn’t hers to give away, as a ex President by default of her husband's party losing the political rule of Penang?

Maybe Ah Koon is more scared of his missus than Lim GE ;-) Aiyah, kesian Ah Koon nia, boe tnea tioh ee knia-bor ;-)