Koh Tsu Koon's saddest legacy is he has trained and conditioned the next generation of Gerakan leaders to be unprincipled and subservient to UMNO
Gerakan President and former Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon’s saddest legacy is not only his unprincipled politics and complete subservience to UMNO but that he has trained and conditioned the next generation of Gerakan leaders in his same mould. Koh claimed to have learnt from the lessons of the 2008 general election defeat.
And yet Koh continues to make personal attacks against me and endorse the campaign of lies by mainstream media that PR leaders are corrupt or engaged in sexual misconduct. Even family members are targetted such as my underaged son who was defamed by BN controlled mainstream media that my son had sexually assaulted his female classmate. Of course Koh see nothing wrong in such personal attacks and lies against PR leaders.
PR leaders do not sue the mass media on policy arguments and differences. However PR have a right to defend themselves when falsely accused of corruption and sexual misconduct without any right of reply. PR leaders have to prove that we are different from BN leaders in terms of integrity.
Koh had shown himself to be unprincipled by breaking his promise that he will not accept any appointment as Senator if he loses in the 2008 general elections. Koh still clings on to his post and Ministerial position despite announcing that he will not contest in the next general elections.
No Open Tender By Koh Tsu Koon In Komtar Urban Redevelopment Project In Penang
Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon also claimed that he practiced open tender when he sold state land for the Komtar Urban Redevelopment project in Penang in 1995. He said the land was awarded to the second highest bidder at RM 240 per square feet in middle 1995 after the original bidder who tendered the highest price at RM300 per square feet in early 1993 had failed to pay the first instalment for the land.
How can there be an open tender when the second highest bidder is given another chance to bid two and a half years later when there should be a fresh tender? Koh fails to comprehend that the principles of open competitive tender does not permit the second highest bidder to be awarded in mid-1995, which is two and a half years after the bid was first awarded in early 1993.
When there is such a long duration of two and a half years between the award of the first and second tender, there should be a fresh tender to allow all who is interested to bid. Property valuation prices can not be valid after one year, much less two and a half years.
How can there be real change in Gerakan when Koh still insists that he practices open tender when this has never been BN’s practice? Even his own Gerakan Youth wing has no confidence in either Gerakan changing or Koh’s promises when they boycotted the Gerakan’s debate session at the party's national representatives conference last Sunday.
Gerakan Youth chief Lim Si Pin.said that there were too many warlords in Gerakan main body who have been there for 30 or 40 years. What hope is there for Gerakan when even their youth representatives launched a boycott when Gerakan Youth have no opportunity to speak? For such open defiance, Lim Si Pin will not be expected to be either a candidate at the next general elections or in the next leadership of Gerakan.
Koh’s saddest legacy is not his subservience to UMNO but that he has trained and conditioned the next generation of Gerakan leaders to continue to submit blindly to UMNO’s dictates. Koh and Gerakan has no sense of honour by supporting UMNO blindly, a party that shows no respect for Gerakan and him by tearing up Koh picture without an apology.
Why was Penang UMNO not reprimanded when its leaders called for the implementation of hudud on all including Muslims and non-Muslims? This is even worse than PAS wanting to implement hudud on Muslims only. DAP had publicly opposed PAS implementing hudud but no Gerakan leader dared to condemn Penang UMNO’s extremist stance. Koh may have left but his ghost still lingers on in many Gerakan leaders that even if Gerakan holds the Chief Minister’s post, Gerakan will not be the people’s Chief Minister but a mere puppet to UMNO.
