Politics 101 Malaysia

by Syed Jaymal Zahiid, malaysiakini, Mar 26. Sungai Pinang state assemblyperson Teng Chang Khim today said that he held no ill-feeling against the newly formed PKR-DAP-PAS state government or with the Selangor

DAP following his exclusion from the new state exco line up. He clarified that there was no ulterior intention in his part for missing the swearing-in ceremony of the new exco members on Monday.

Speculation of Teng’s discontent was rife when Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim announced that there will be no deputy post despite initial presumption that Teng was one of the favourites for the post. However Teng was not even in the exco list announced by Khalid. His party DAP’s three positions were taken by up Teresa Kok, Ronnie Liu and Ean Yong Hian Wah.

Clearing the air off the allegation of any rift within his party or the new state government, Teng said that his absence was a mere “technical mistake” as he had not received the invitation card. “I received an SMS asking me to confirm my presence then but I forgot about it as I was attending a case at the Shah Alam High Court at the time,” said Teng, a lawyer by profession.

“At a personal level, I am alright with the new state government lineup. This is a new era and let bygone be bygone,” he added. Teng also said that the media should not sensationalise the matter. “I was tipped to be deputy menteri besar as well as the State Assembly speaker. I emphasise on the word ‘tipped’ which means that it is mere speculation and not truth,” he said.

Sidelined in party

Before the tide of opposition victory had befall Selangor, the state has been known to be impenetrable for the opposition. A very popular Teng however was among the few opposition representatives in the state and had managed to sustain his influence there for more than a decade. March 8 polls saw him retaining his Sungai Pinang seat by a majority of 7,361 votes, 3,613 more votes than the 2004 elections against his MCA rival and veteran Song Kee Chai.

“I am in constant contact with the new government and will cooperate with them (and) will continue to focus on my constituency,” said Teng. Teng’s exclusion became one of the many basis for BN attacks on the opposition. Countering accusations that BN is practicing cronyism, the party took the same shot against the opposition.

The three DAP exco members - Kok of Kinrara, Liu of Pandamaran and state chief Ean Yong of Sri Kembangan- are known to have the backing both DAP leaders Lim Kit Siang and his son, Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng, who is also the party secretary general. BN leaders say this was evident of cronyism as a senior and experienced candidate like Teng has been sidelined from state leadership to make way for party members favoured by the “father and son hegemony”.

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COMMENT BY LOONG MENG YEE

NEW Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim had best take a peek into the past because the Selangor top seat is so hot, his three predecessors have been “burnt”.

Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib and his successor, Tan Sri Abu Hassan Omar, were forced to vacate their seat abruptly - and very publicly, too.

Khalid’s predecessor, Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo, suffered the worst fall from grace - he lost the state to the opposition in the recent “tsunami”-like general election, and subsequently stepped down as Sela-ngor Umno liaison chief, shouldering the blame for the shocking loss.

A little further back, another former Mentri Besar, Datuk Harun Idris, also resigned from office over corruption charges.

Muhammad resigned in 1997 after he was charged in Australia with currency irregularities amounting to RM3.8mil. He was subsequently found not guilty.

He spent a good decade loyally servicing Umno in different positions, until his surprise comeback recently when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi included him in the Cabinet as the Rural and Regional Development Minister via a Senatorship.

Muhammad also takes over from Khir as Selangor Umno liaison chief.

Only three years after his resignation, in 2000, Muhammad, as the deputy state Umno liaison chief, announced that Abu Hassan had resigned with immediate effect, citing health reasons.

Abu Hassan’s resignation came in the wake of a threat by political foes to expose a series of poison-pen letters implicating him in an alleged affair with his sister-in-law and corruption scandals. He denied the accusations, insisting they had been concocted by political enemies.

With his resignation, the allegations died down.

While addressing a group of Barisan Nasional members and well-wishers during the period, Abu Hassan said he had envisaged being the Mentri Besar one day but never imagined the position to be filled with so much upheaval.

“It is probably a jinxed position. (Datuk) Harun and (Tan Sri) Muhammad also resigned from office and I have joined the list.

“Even (Datuk) Hormat and (Datuk) Ahmad Razali had a tough time when they served as MB. This is definitely a pressure cooker of a seat and I have had enough,” he said in jest.

His successor, Khir, the dentist plucked from obscurity by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, had earlier seemed to have escaped the heat.

Although former Opposition leader Teng Chang Khim linked him with several bad decisions and alleged land alienation to close associates, including the devastating land clearing in Bukit Cahaya, Khir seemed to have emerged unscathed, save for some dents in his image.

He was seen to be strengthening his hold on the state, and even aiming higher in the Umno hierarchy with the intention of vying for one of the four vice presidents’ posts in the future.

All his dreams came crashing with the election results. The Opposition coalition of PKR-PAS-DAP swept into power and Khalid takes over from Khir as the state’s14th Mentri Besar.

Khir was supposed to take on a role he never imagine he would - as the Opposition chief in Selangor.

However, about a week after the election, Khir resigned as the state Umno liaison chief, taking full responsibility for losing control of the state he had declared in 2005 to the most developed in the country.

Former Selangor Opposition chief Teng Chang Khim, who, as a state assemblyman, had seen the fall of Muhammad, Abu Hassan and Khir, does not believe the top seat is jinxed.

“They fell because they were helming a system that was decadent, rife with patronage and unnecessary allocation to secure the loyalty of their followers.

“It was a matter of patiently uncovering the under-table land deals and wastage (such as constructing the exco village in Shah Alam). The people in Selangor remember these episodes, and that day we never thought would come, did,” said Teng, an astute government watchdog admired for his daring in exposing the various wrongdoings of the state government.

While admitting he did not have a direct hand in Muhammad’s, Abu Hassan’s or Khir’s downfall, Teng – dubbed the “MB slayer” – said all he needed to do was watch over the public funds, while political enemies within Umno would unearth other scandals.

Indeed, Abu Hassan had once told his supporters a few days after his resignation: “It is unfortunate, but the reality of Umno politics is, your own people will betray you and plot your downfall.”

Teng believes Khalid will break the so-called jinx.

“First, he has already made his millions before coming into office. He has made it clear he will not be party to patronage politics to gain favours,” he said.

However, Teng, voted in as the Sungai Pinang state assemblyman, said he would continue to play his role as a watchdog for the people.

“My boss is the my voters. I am humbled by their trust in me to continue watching over the state and how it spends its money.

“What my boss wants me to do, I have to deliver to the best of my ability because in five years, I will also be subject to scrutiny. I hope to be voted in, not jinxed out,” he said.