I refer to the Malaysiakini report Penang CM unperturbed by uproar over Lee's appointment .

Its funny seeing how the Lee Kah Choon saga has been blown out of proportion. Surely this should give important lesson for the Penang government of Lim Guan Eng.

Lesson 1: Before giving a job to anyone, make sure he/she is qualified and able to do the job. I am not saying Lee Kah Choon is not qualified but qualifications don’t mean anything if he cannot do the job. On the other hand, a candidate may appear unqualified, but if he or she can get the job done, why not? Attitude is much more important.

Lesson 2: The Penang government should advertise the job first, before giving the job to some one. Just giving the job to anyone you know, whether from your camp or the opposite camp is not right. It doesn’t appear above board.

By advertising the position, the Penang government would be able to draw from a pool of qualified candidates and might be able to get the best person to do the job.

Lesson 3: Lim Guan Eng should not make decisions to give state positions in his capacity as Penang chief minister - it should be a Penang state executive council decision. The appointment of the chosen person should be above board too.

Because the rakyat appoints their representatives (ie, Penang state executive councillors) to govern the state, hence an executive appointment like the PDC chairmanpersonship should rightfully be brought before the state executive council.

We should all demand that executive appointments by all state governments and the federal government be more transparent and be advertised in the media.