Soi Lek says Guan Eng behaving like ‘opposition’

KLANG, July 25 — MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek today accused Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng of behaving like he was still in the opposition for initiating the ongoing spat with a federal officer.

Dr Chua (picture) mocked Lim’s attitude and how he had chosen to handle the tiff, pointing out that the DAP secretary-general could have used a more civilised channel to voice his grievances against State Development Officer (SDO) Nik Ali Mat Yunus.

“Look at how Lim Guan Eng handled the issue with the SDO. From there, you can generally conclude that he (Lim) himself is not aware of his own role as an administrator,” he told reporters after opening the Selangor MCA convention at Centro here this afternoon.

He said that as the chief minister, Lim had the right and the responsibility to evaluate Nik Ali’s performance and come up with an official verdict through the state government.

“He can evaluate the SDO and make a decision during the state executive council meetings. Through that channel, he can present the state government’s views to the Chief Secretary to the Government,” said Dr Chua.

He added that the chief secretary would have “no choice” but to accept and respect the views of the state government.

“But by forwarding your views out in the open like that, the SDO would be forced into retaliating to defend himself.

“In the end, the issue does not get solved,” he said.

Dr Chua claimed that if the spat, which has now turned into a full-fledged war between the Penang state government and the federal civil service, failed to be settled, it would be the people who would suffer.

“He (Lim) still acts like he is from the opposition party although they are actually the ruling government in Penang,” he said.

The debacle between Lim and Nik Ali began when Pulau Betong assemblyman Muhamad Farid Saad alleged recently that illegal sand excavation was taking place at a plot in Kampung Kenanga, which had been earmarked for a government polytechnic.

Lim had responded to the allegation by saying that the state had not been able to probe the matter as Nik Ali was not co-operative.

He had also accused Nik Ali of refusing to respect the principles of accountability by answering queries on the Penang Botanical Garden, the illegal sand excavation at the Balik Pulau polytechnic and how federal projects were being carried out without approval from the local councils.

The accusation escalated into a verbal war between Nik Ali and Lim with the federal officer retaliating by calling Lim “insolent, uncivilised and a coward” at an Umno function.

Since then, other leaders including DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang and even Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan have joined the fray, turning the spat into an all-out battle between the civil service and the DAP.

Mohd Sidek has so far accused Lim of being “excessive” in his remarks and has given his assurance that Nik Ali would not be reprimanded for criticising a chief minister.

Lim then retaliated by accusing Mohd Sidek of preferring to protect “little Napoleans” than defend the integrity and professionalism of the civil service.