DAP rallies behind Guan Eng, says he will stay on as Chief Minister

KUALA LUMPUR — Opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) top leadership decided collectively yesterday that its secretary-general Lim Guan Eng need not take leave from his post as Penang Chief Minister despite being indicted on two corruption charges.

Rallying behind Lim, party chairman Tan Kok Wai said there was no conflict of interest for Lim to stay on in the state government post as the latter has no control over the trial.

“Furthermore, the CEC (central executive committee) also believes the charges to be completely baseless and nothing more than an attempt to topple the democratically elected Chief Minister of Penang, as well as to destabilise the party,” he told the Malaysian media yesterday.

“He (Lim) is a man of impeccable honesty and integrity. We do not have doubt in his moral standing.”

The Malaysian authorities on Thursday charged Lim with two counts of corruption, a move critics say is part of a crackdown on those opposed to Prime Minister Najib Razak’s administration. He was charged in relation to investigations over his purchase of a house, which was allegedly linked to the sale of state land.

Lim pleaded not guilty to both charges. He was granted RM1 million (S$338,100) bail. He is due to return to court on Sept 22 when trial dates are expected to be fixed and faces up to 20 years in jail if convicted.

DAP held a RM10 public donation campaign to replenish its coffers after posting Lim’s bail, which resulted in the public donating more than RM1 million. The campaign was halted less than 24 hours later.

“We have received RM1,009,000 as at 2pm today. Since 6pm yesterday (Thursday), we have been receiving donations of about RM51,000 every hour,” said Penang DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow yesterday.

The opposition’s reaction to Lim’s prosecution was criticised by a minister from the United Malays National Organisation (Umno). Housing, Local Government and Urban Wellbeing Minister Noh Omar said the opposition have been crying conspiracy over Lim’s case because they believe they are above the law.

“When the time an Umno man was arrested, how come the question ofselective prosecution did not arise?” asked Mr Noh, in reference to the case of former Selangor chief minister Mohamad Khir Toyo, who was nabbed for corruption several years ago.

“This is the opposition. The opposition think that they are God. ‘Oh you can’t touch us.’ They are untouchable like God. They think they are all good,” said Mr Noh. “When it comes to arresting people, for them, it’s okay if it’s Umno or BN (Barisan Nasional) but when it comes to them, they are untouchable. That is the opposition.”

Analysts said yesterday the charges against Lim would diminish the perception that Chinese support was returning to the ruling BN coalition, following its victories in the two recent by-elections in Sungai Besar, Selangor, and Kuala Kangsar, Perak, as well as in the Sarawak state election in May.

It will also strengthen national support for the DAP, especially in Penang, as pro-opposition voters perceive the prosecution to be a political attack.

“Electoral impact on DAP is likely to be minimal as this action will galvanise their supporters in the urban areas and allow them to retain most, if not all, of their seats,” said Mr Ibrahim Suffian, the head of Malaysia-based independent pollster Merdeka Center.

Yesterday, Lim warned that his prosecution placed Penang’s welfare programmes on the line. He reiterated his innocence on the charges but claimed that despite this, his political opponents want to see him behind bars for the next 20 years.

“Ordinary Malays, Chinese and Indians know what is at stake when BN filed corruption charges against me,” he said in a statement yesterday, blaming BN for his prosecution.

He claimed that Penang folk were angry that a leader of a clean government has been charged with corruption and were afraid his incarceration would affect the state’s i-Sejahtera welfare programme.

“I saw Malay women hugging and crying. I saw Malay men hugging and crying. It is something that I have never seen before … they came of their own volition,” he said, adding that while DAP will not be organising a street demonstration, it will go on to explain that this is an attempt to destabilise the state government.