GEORGE TOWN: Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has been told to name the person/s behind the latest attempt to oust him, following his own revelation of such a plot.
Former state DAP deputy chairman Dr P. Ramasamy said he was unsure whether Chow believed strongly that there was an attempt to topple him or it was an attempt to divert attention from the current land sale imbroglio the state government is facing.
The former deputy chief minister II said, prior to the last state elections, there was an attempt to remove him, but was not successful.
After election victory in Penang, Chow was sworn in as the chief minister for the second and final term.
"Chow is hardly in office for two months and he is already talking about attempts to topple him from the office.
"Perhaps, if it is true, then he should name the person/s behind the attempt to remove him," he said today.
During an event here over the weekend, Chow had told the audience that there were people within and outside the party who were planning to remove him.
As such, he had called on his detractors to respect DAP's decision to appoint him as chief minister.
Ramasamy said he was unsure whether the national leadership was aware of this.
"Anyway, Chow's allegation of his removal has come at a time when the state government and the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) are caught in the land sale controversy.
"About 556 acres of land were recently sold to a private company, UMECH Land, with last minute shareholding of 70 per cent by the wholly owned subsidiary of Sunway Bhd.
"Numerous questions have surfaced recently as to why the land was sold to UMECH Land and not to UMECH Construction, which brought Sunway into the deal, and why the land was sold below the market rate and why there was no open tender and others.
"Chow is expected to discuss these issues in the PDC Board meeting very soon. Whether an independent body will be set to investigate the controversial land sale remains to be seen. An investigation by the Board might not constitute the right approach because PDC management has been 'tainted' in the land deal," he added.
Ramasamy said he was unsure as to whether Chow would be able to resolve the controversy surrounding the land sale that easily.
He said it was better to confront the imbroglio rather than engage in diversionary tactics.
"His (Chow's) justifications of the land sale have raised more questions than answers. How could he answer the numerous queries if he relies exclusively on PDC press reports.
"I think it was in the context of the land sale controversy that Chow, two days ago, brought up the matter of attempts to remove him from office.
"He said the forces, rather than plotting to remove him, should lend their support to the Penang the government.
"When Chow remarked that there was a plot to remove him, the land sale controversy was probably not far from his thinking," he pointed out.
Ramasamy said if there were procedures not followed in the land sale, then it was up to the state government to own up to their mistakes.
He said it served no purpose for Chow or others to divert matters away from the land sale controversy.
"Political diversion might not be good for Chow to effectively govern Penang. If Chow is serious about the political threats, then this must be made known to the national leadership.
"Unfortunately, the DAP national leadership thinks that 'transparent' Chow might be able to resolve the matters. Let us wait and see whether the national leadership can maintain its confidence in Chow.
"Otherwise, Chow should desist from linking the land sale controversy to his removal from office…even the link was not directly established.
"However, if the state government does not manage and resolve the land controversy, then this issue might linger on and could be used as political ammunition against Chow," he stressed.
Hazween Hassan, [16/10/2023 10:16 AM]
In the last state elections in Penang, according to Ramasamy, most of the state assemblymen aligned with Chow were deprived of their state seats.
The party called the removal as a rejuvenation but Ramasamy called it a 'political purge'.
He noted that Chow, as the chief minister, hardly took the initiative to defend those unfairly dropped, including the young candidates.
"But after the state election was over, and with his appointment as the second term chief minister, he had the temerity to say that the party made the right decision in the selection of the candidates. Before this, he was behaving like a 'cry baby'.
"I am no longer in the government or the DAP. I burned my bridges when I tendered my resignation two days before the last state election.
"I would not put up with Chow or any others to surreptitiously use my name or others in the justification as to why the land was sold to UMECH Land. I might have been in the sub-committee or the PDC Board, but I had no role in deciding in favour of the land sale.
"If there is an investigation, I am prepared to come forward to give my version of what really transpired when I was in the PDC Board. I was part of the Penang government for the last 15 years.
"Surely, I want the Penang government to succeed in terms of rendering excellent services to the people. I am the last person who wants the people of Penang to face hardship as a result of the failure of the government," he said.