When will Gerakan and other Barisan Nasional leaders learn

Media statement by Liew Chin Tong, DAP International Secretary and Member of Parliament for Bukit Bendera in George Town, Penang on Tuesday, 17 January 2012

Gerakan can only understand politics the way its leaders have been taught by their political masters, i.e. to be subservient to UMNO. They accept the dominance of UMNO over all other Barisan Nasional component parties.

1. Begging the Federal Government

Hence Penang Gerakan Chief Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan’s attacks on Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for not using the “proper channel” to ask for “goodies” or projects from the Federal Government. Essentially, Teng and Gerakan are asking the people to beg from the Federal Government.

It was Gerakan’s way of begging that made the people angry and voted BN out of Penang on 8 March 2008.

It was reported by Bernama yesterday that Dr Teng had said that “if the chief minister was having any problem with any project, he should use the proper channel to address it and not through the media”.

Lest Dr Teng forgets, the Federal Government collects taxes and it is its responsiblity to develop all the states. Lim Guan Eng as the Chief Minister speaks on behalf of the people of Penang. He doesn’t have to beg for the rights of the people. It is the Federal Government that must fulfill its duty.

If the Federal Government doesn’t act in accordance with the wishes of the people and the federal constitution, for the sake of Penang’s future, let’s put a new set of leaders in Putrajaya.

2. Lies about Sungai Nyior toll

Gerakan and other BN leaders have also spread lies against the Pakatan Rakyat government of Penang when they claimed that the DAP has failed to abolish the Sungai Nyior toll.

The toll road is controlled by the Federal Government. The State under Pakatan has built an alternative road to the toll road.

If there’s anyone who can abolish the roll, it must be the Federal Government. Perhaps Gerakan leaders have forgotten that they must beg the Federal Government to abolish that toll?

All BN component leaders must remember that it is Lim Guan Eng who is tirelessly opposing the extension of toll concessions by the Federal Government on behalf of the toll operators, the private profiteers.

3. Reducing the people’s financial burden

I support Lim Guan Eng’s challenge to Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop to debate on how to reduce the burden of tolls on the public. The government must understand that in a time of difficult international economic milieu, domestic demand is crucial to our economic survival.

The best way of boosting domestic demand is to increase the disposable income of the ordinary citizens. In its stead, BN is allowing private profiteers to suck the last drop of blood from ordinary citizens through toll roads as well as other unnecessary “taxes”.

LIEW CHIN TONG