YOURSAY | ‘Buying anything at a discount is a fact of life, not just in Malaysia.’
Drngsc: P Gunasegaram, there is much truth in what you said, but there is also much that is unacceptable to me. Buying a property, car, goods, services at a lower price, is what Malaysians (and I am sure your goodself and family) do all the time.
For impropriety, in my opinion, the state must show that the person accused of corruption had benefited from the deal. So far in the charge sheet, that does not seem to be the case.
The re-zoning was never executed and the seller, Phang Li Koon, derived no material benefit. Can you then argue that he was corrupt because he bought a house at a lower cost?
As you know, DAP leaders do not have "side money" and every cent is precious. It is only Umno blokes who will buy buildings above market value, as seen with Mara in Australia.
Lovegives: Whatever said and done, as a man of principle, Penang CM Lim Guan Eng should step down or at least take leave until the case is settled.
If not, DAP is going to spend a lot of energy on this instead of moving the party forward.
Existential Turd: Buying anything at a discount is a fact of life, not just in Malaysia. Many people have bought properties at below market price before they were launched. If that is a crime, many thousands of homeowners would be behind bars.
A sale is a legal contract between the seller and the buyer. If both parties consent, there is no reason for others to intervene.
It is up to the authorities to prove elements of coercion or quid-pro-quo in the transaction, if there is any crime is believed to have been committed. It is not for the accused to prove he is innocent.
All the attorney-general has to go on is that he bought the property at below market price. That does not constitute a crime.
The calls for Guan Eng to vacate his post as chief minister because trumped-up charges are thrown at him, is a form of getting him to admit he is guilty, before the trial.
If he stepped down, the government-controlled media would have a field day declaring that he admitted to the crime.
Anonymous #70881335: Two wrongs do not make a right. A little mistake is still a mistake. You do not follow bad examples.
It is better for Guan Eng to take leave (not resign) until he is cleared. Anyway, it is good to show that the Penang government does not depend on one person only. No one should be indispensable.
Fair Play: There is an inherent flaw in the writer's logic that Guan Eng should step down. He forgot a crucial factor - that the playing field was never level to begin with. The rules must apply to all.
But the ongoing 1MDB saga is a classic example of different rules that could be, and had been, applied to protect the powerful.
Kleeo: I agree with the author. It doesn't matter whether it's a trap set by PM Najib Razak.
The principles of CAT matter and since Guan Eng has never passed up a chance to tout his government's cleanliness, accountability, and transparency, he should step aside, at least until the case is resolved.
Rick Teo: So every time a charge is filed against any opposition leader, they should step down, whereas this same rule does not apply to BN leaders? If Najib had set an example, then it can be argued that Guan Eng should also do likewise.
Then again, there is a difference between the two cases. Is Guan Eng able to influence the outcome? No. He does not have the authority, nor the power to do so, even if he doesn't step down.
So what is the rationale for him to do so? That would only be falling into Najib's trap.
Ian2003: I think there is one important point which we have not really addressed, which is the willing buyer-willing seller scenario, and most importantly, whether there were any strings attached.
If there were none, does it means just because you are some person in a position of power, be it a company CEO, a head of department of civil service, or a trainee policeman, you are not allowed to purchase anything at a bargain?
Are they supposed to inform the seller the actual market price and they are to pay full price? If they do I'll call them morons, and not fit to man important positions.
Legit: The author's argument is based on all things being perfect in this country. But is everything perfect? I would say 80 percent is not perfect, starting with the very top leadership.
Guna's argument will provide fodder for Najib and his followers to inflict similar damage on their enemies at will, at their whims and fancies.
Guan Eng stepping down from his position, or even going on leave, will further strengthen the resolve of the evil doers and will take this country further down the path of the rogue nations of the world.
I believe it is for this very reason, that many Malaysians do not agree with the suggestion made by the author.
Anonymous123456789: Without a doubt, purchasing a valuable property at a hefty discount was poor judgment on the part of Guan Eng, given the political landscape. But whether that constitutes a bribe is debatable.
Proving the truth may be trickier still given the public's general distrust of government institutions. For example, if I were wealthy, I would certainly like to reward Guan Eng or Lim Kit Siang for their years of sacrifice, in fighting Umno.
After all, I really wouldn't lose money, only profit foregone. To be charitable to a long suffering politician, doesn't mean I have to forfeit my rights as citizen to transact business with the governments at arm's length.
Given the news flow, there is not an iota of evidence that Guan Eng made a prior arrangement to benefit Phang Li Koon. Besides, the quantum of gain by Guan Eng is relatively tiny compared to 'The Donation', or even 'Cowgate'.
Not Convinced: If a wealthy person wants to reward Guan Eng or Lim Kit Siang, the best way to do it is by donating money directly to the party, and not banking it into their personal accounts as another leader is fond of doing.
And if that wealthy person has business deals with the state government, it’s best not to sell something to the CM at below market. After all, there is such a thing called conflict of interest.
Ace: Guna, thank you for a very thought-provoking article. Ideally, Guan Eng should take leave or step down, but is there an ideal political situation in Malaysia?
If Guan Eng resigns, the mainstream media will be screaming "guilty!” over their front pages for an entire week and also, the perpetrators of this scheme will be emboldened and there will be a never ending line of victims because it is so easy to get rid of opposition leaders.
Who's next? Azmin Ali, Nurul Izzah Anwar, Lim Kit Siang?
Headhunter: If Guan Eng stepped down, it will be a success for Najib's "slash and burn" policy. People are supporting Guan Eng because it is seen that he's being persecuted due to his success as the chief minister of Penang, not because he bought a bungalow below market value.
Unless the person is a fool, who wouldn't want to buy a property below cost? Nothing wrong there unless there is proof that there is a trade-off which involved the rakyat's losing out financially, like in 1MDB's case for example.
If everything was not done above board, Guan Eng would not get the spontaneous support of so many citizens as demonstrated.
Their support is also a way of telling the BN that they believe it is a case of political persecution, using the full might of the state apparatus. Give some credit to Malaysians - that they are not all stupid and blind.
Proarte: I have come to the conclusion from reading the responses of the Malaysiakini 'intelligentsia, reformists and democrats', that principle and integrity are optional extras for them in their supposed aim to achieve a new paradigm for Malaysia which is based on good governance, justice, equality and human rights.
That their position is oxymoronic, has not occurred to them. This also explains why the 'opposition' is ineffective in Malaysia and seems to be working in the interest of BN, despite its gross abuse of power and corruption.
Their opportunistic and unprincipled nature saw PKR and DAP linking up with PAS over a period of 16 years despite having diametrically opposed views.
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