Lim ‘cocky, arrogant’
GEORGE TOWN: PENANG Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Mansor Othman has been implicated in the making of nasty and disparaging comments against Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, including describing him as “cocky and arrogant”, during a state Parti Keadilan Rakyat strategic meeting in June.
State PKR leaders who attended the meeting were told that the Penang scenario was different now with DAP acting like a dictator in the administration of the state.
Mansor was quoted verbatim as saying that DAP, despite being part of Pakatan Rakyat, “wants to kill off PKR in the next general election and control power in Penang by themselves”. “He is very arrogant I tell you … cocky and
arrogant. It is not easy… now more arrogant because he won big.
“They are sure of winning 19 (state seats) and they want more. Because by two more, they can form their own government and they can take from us (PKR representatives) to be on their side and then abandon us.”
The minutes quoting Mansor are posted on a blog, Gelagat Anwar.
The minutes also listed the names of the attendees besides detailing discussions on seat allocations and the problems faced by PKR in Penang.
Also minuted was how PKR members should rally together as there would be plenty of jobs to go round if Pakatan Rakyat managed to wrest Putrajaya in the next general election.
Matters discussed were centred on PKR’s Chinese candidates, including those likely to be dropped, new faces and incumbents.
The Penang legislative assembly consists of 40 seats, with DAP holding 19; PKR, nine; Pas, one; and Umno, 11.
The leaked minutes have infuriated DAP with its Penang chairman, Chow Kon Yeow, issuing a statement yesterday demanding an official clarification from Mansor.
“The Penang DAP views with concern the leaked minutes of the PKR strategic meeting where its Penang chairman was quoted as saying that Lim is arrogant.
“We will await the official clarification from Mansor before making any further statement,” he said.
Chow also claimed Penang DAP had not made any demand for additional seats and ruled out any possibility of three-cornered fights with its Pakatan partners.
“Any comments regarding seat arrangements in Penang on news portals are solely made in the context of internal PKR electoral discussions and in no way reflects the reality.”
Chow said the leaked information about DAP wanting to contest additional Chinese seats should not be taken “so seriously”.
“It was a party strategy meeting. When you have a meeting like that, you look at the big picture and consider all possibilities. People talk and discuss about anything during such meetings but no final decisions are made.”
PKR leaders, who were present at the meeting, have chosen to stay away from the controversy. They, however, did not deny the contents of the minutes, but said it was best left to Mansor to handle the issue now.
PKR Bukit Bendera division deputy chief Felix Ooi and the party’s Bayan Baru deputy chief, Tan Seng Keat, who both attended the meeting, said the matter should be referred to the state party leadership.
“The leak is being investigated. I think it is not right for people other than Mansor to make statements,” Ooi said.
Mansor, in a text message, claimed he had issued a statement concerning the matter last month, but did not state where and to whom the statement was made.
