Malaysiakini : COMMENT The two charges
against me under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act
and the Penal Code for corrupt practice are a clear act of political
persecution motivated solely to destroy me as Penang chief minister.
Lim Guan Eng's case explained simply
I had explained to MACC that the purchase of the bungalow from Phang
Li Koon is above-board, an arms-length transaction on a willing buyer
and seller basis without any coercion or special favours granted from
me or the state government. Phang is a friend of my wife and has no active business relationship
with the state government. She is not a housing developer and the
bungalow she sold me for RM2.8 million was built in the 1980s.
There have been attempts to draw similarities between my case and former Selangor menteri besar Mohd Khir Toyo. This is wrong. Unlike Khir Toyo’s case, Phang did not make a loss of RM5 million but
recorded a small profit of RM300,000 from her original purchase price
of RM2.5 million. Unlike Khir Toyo’s case, Phang is not a housing developer that has to be reliant on state government to continue her business. On the second charge relating to the approval of Magnificent Emblem
Sdn Bhd's (MESB) application to re-zone its land from agricultural to
residential use, MESB did not succeed in re-zoning its property to
residential (purpose). The property still remains an agricultural land.
What benefit is there to MESB when it could not get final re-zoning
approval to agricultural (use) from Majlis Bandaraya Pulau Pinang? I am also puzzled by what started off as a vicious political attack
on me selling out Taman Manggis land meant for the poor has came to
nothing. Why all the hype about Taman Manggis land by BN ministers then? Clearly, there is nothing wrong with Taman Manggis land sale and
instead I am charged with making a decision for MESB that finally did
not gain them any benefit. Sadly, there is no corruption with huge RM50 billion debts or RM2.6
billion or RM4 billion in your personal bank accounts. But it is now
corruption even when the alleged corrupt party did not gain any benefit.
Vicious political plays
I will not submit to such dirty and vicious political plays to
destroy my reputation or Penang’s image as the cleanest and best-run
state in Malaysia. We are proud of our open competitive tenders and proud of our
accolades from Transparency International and the annual
Auditor-General’s Reports. We will not allow BN to throw mud to hide its own corruption scandals. We will prove our innocence in court. We will fight to prove that the Pakatan Harapan government is a
people-centric government that upholds its principles of integrity,
justice, freedom and democracy.
There is still hope for a Malaysia that is clean and free from
corruption, abuse of power and oppression. We must not allow BN to steal
our children’s future as they have stolen ours. What type of country do we want our children to grow up when those
who gained benefits and donations amounting to billions of ringgit are
not charged with corruption while those who gained no benefit are
prosecuted for corruption? BN can prosecute me but it will not kill my passion to free Malaysia from corruption.
BN can victimise me but will not crush my spirit to free Malaysia from those who steal our children's future.
BN can even humiliate me by unnecessarily detaining me overnight but
will not succeed in changing white to black and black to white. Right
cannot become wrong and wrong cannot become right.
BN will not break my party's unity – we stand together as leaders and
members to battle for reforms towards a better Malaysia with freedom,
justice and democracy. If BN feels that they can bend or break me by arresting me, they are
wrong! I will die standing (rather) than live on bended knees. A free
Malaysia, a fair Malaysia, a prosperous Malaysia for all is worth
fighting for!
LIM GUAN ENG is Penang chief minister and DAP secretary-general.
I do not aim to please anyone. This is my blog, there is no blog like this. I am not mainstream. Read my disclaimer before posting comments and threatening me. Not to worry, I will not quiver in my boots. If you are not happy, no problem, just take a hike!!
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I do not aim to please anyone. This is my blog, there is no blog like this. I am not mainstream. Read my disclaimer before posting comments and threatening me. Not to worry, I will not quiver in my boots. If you are not happy, no problem, just take a hike!!