MCA deputy president and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Wee Ka Siong should not pull a Rahman Dahlan in calling Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to a debate on Penang’s undersea tunnel project.
In April 2016, the BN strategic communications director and minister in the Prime Minister’s Department called Lim for a debate on allegations that the latter had engaged in corrupt practices, knowing very well that Lim had been charged on two counts and was awaiting a court trial.
Lim accepted the debate but at the last minute, Rahman, citing advice from the police, pulled out. Lim responded by calling Rahman a “chicken”. Although it was Rahman who called for a public debate with Lim, he found an unacceptable excuse to wiggle out of the debate.
If Lim agrees to the debate with Wee, I am not sure whether Wee will go along, simply because the matter of the tunnel project is still being investigated by MACC. There is a possibility that even if Wee wants to debate with Lim, he might be “advised” to pull out of the debate on the grounds of the ongoing investigation.
Wee wants to debate with Lim not because he thinks that he is on the right side; rather, he believes that this coming general election is the last chance for his party to make a comeback among the Malaysian Chinese. The party has been politically battered to a considerable degree, losing much support from the Malaysian Chinese.
Yes, Wee has raised many questions on the tunnel project. However, on closer examination these are merely lies, half-truths and slanderous statements. To date, he has not raised anything worthwhile, or to be considered important for an open debate.
Over the last few months or so, there has been a virtual debate in the media between members of the Penang state government and the leaders of MCA and Gerakan. I don’t understand why Wee wants to have an open debate when he raised almost all the issues that he wanted to over the last few months.
In fact, even Wee failed to respond to some of the questions raised by Lim in the debate over the tunnel. The Penang state government has maintained a consistent stand on the tunnel project. It has stated that the project was given to Zenith Consortium on an open tender basis and that CRCC was the main contractor to implement the project.
Through official statements made on the project and numerous replies to counter the unfounded allegations coming principally from MCA and Gerakan leaders, the Penang government has made it clear that as far it is concerned, there is nothing fishy or scandalous about the tunnel project.
Wee raised many questions in the beginning about the tunnel project, but lately he has narrowed these down to the amount paid to CRCC and why a project worth more than RM6 billion was given to Zenith, a company that is incapable of delivering the project as scheduled.
Now all of sudden as the general election nears, he has gone from a debate in the media to asking Lim for a public debate on allegations of corruption in the tunnel project.
The Penang chief minister will have to make a decision on whether he will accept the challenge from Wee. Under normal circumstances, I don’t think Lim would shy away from a public debate. Remember the Rahman incident.
However, there is nothing for Lim to debate with Wee. Whatever Wee has raised has been covered in the media exchange with Lim over the last few months.
Lim has considerable support among Malaysians, principally the Chinese and Indian communities. Why should he debate with Wee, who is surviving politically on the lifeline extended by Umno?
P Ramasamy is Penang deputy chief minister II.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.