Guan Eng’s crimes, political or real?
When it comes to the Opposition, not only does the government-controlled media hound them, flimsy charges are levelled against them for corruption and abuse of power.
By P Ramasamy
What puzzles me is that when major crimes are committed, the individuals responsible especially those in public office seem to get away without a scratch.
The law is yet to catch up with Prime Minister Najib Razak for illicitly receiving donations in his accounts, or those responsible for the fiasco associated with 1Malaysia Development Berhad that allegedly amounts to more than RM50 billion.
However, when it comes to leaders of the Opposition the story is different. Not only does the government-controlled media hound them, flimsy charges are levelled against them for corruption and abuse of power.
Former Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is still languishing in prison on a sodomy charge conviction. Are these real or are those in power wanting to “rest” Anwar from being a major threat to those in power?
Similarly, Lim Guan Eng, the chief minister of Penang was charged, arrested and released on RM1 million bail. What were the charges?
The first charge related to the approval of land by the State Planning Commission from being used for agricultural purposes to that of residential purposes. However, such approval was conditional on satisfying technical requirements, which the company Magnificent Emblem did not comply with, and so the land was restored to its original agricultural status.
The second charge relates to Guan Eng buying his house in Jalan Pinhorn for RM2.8 million when the actual value was apparently RM4.2 million in 2015. This is the argument of the prosecution, but the defence will have to verify this during the trial.
Guan Eng’s buying of the house was a simple transaction and the prosecution must prove that both the parties stood to gain from this transaction in other deals or matters. In other words, it must be proven that the seller by selling “cheap” stood to gain from other transactions.
If this cannot be proven, then there is no case against Guan Eng or the seller for “abetting” in the crime.
The more I look at the charges against Guan Eng, the more I am reminded how the regime sought to finish off the political career of Anwar. Similarly, there is a political motive to finish off once and for all, the political career of Guan Eng.
But Guan Eng is no ordinary leader; he is a fighter and has been jailed twice before for fighting for a larger cause. These politically motivated charges might dent his spirit for a few days, but I am sure he will bounce back to lead the party to fight against the evils and wrongdoings of the Umno/Barisan Nasional corrupt regime.
As the Malay proverb goes: “Gajah didepan mata tidak dinampak, tetapi kuman di sebarang lautan boleh dinampak.”
P Ramasamy is Deputy Chief Minister II of Penang.
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