Hi, these pix are old pix , but it is waste if I don’t blog them:-))
I sworn in as ADUN in Selangor state assembly. The strange thing is, I was sworn in one month after I became exco of Selangor state government.’
(From left: Me,YB Teng Chang Khim, Y.A.B. Tan Sri Dato’ Abd Khalid Bin Ibrahim & Y.B. Dato’ DR Hassan Bin Mohd Ali)
wah, u got a BIG handbag.
What you have in there? A BIG portfolio and a BIG collection of dirt just dugged out 🙂
why is Ronnie Liu so pai-say (malu) in the last pix? 🙂
Hi! Teresa,
You’re such a tireless and workaholic MP and ADUN that you’re not only well-known in the Klang Valley but also throughout the country. I can’t help envying the people of Selangor and KL, especially those living in Kinrara and Seputeh, for having you as their Adun and MP. I’m no sycophant, but one who gives credit where it is due. I live in Penang and I have often read about you and your dedication as a people’s representative in the English and Chinese newspapers. I can only pray that you are always healthy and have boundless energy to perform your heavy duties. Hope to see you in the flesh one day.
Regards
leguan,
you got Lim Guan Eng so how is he faring so far?
lee wee tak,
I’m not affiliated to any political party. Penangites are the complaining lot, but their misgiving for the state government seems to have died down since the 12GE. Personally, I see Guan Eng (most of us refer to our CM on the first name basis) as a tough guy – uncompromising, hardworking, thrifty and even compassionate. It’s a refreshing change after 18 years of Koh Tsu Koon’s lack lustre performance and his ‘soft’ image. It’s hard to say how much chang he can bring to Penang. So far, he has distributed rice to the poor, promised to give one-off payment of RM100 to about 100,000 people in the state, but I prefer he uses the money on beautifying the island or setting up a high-class hawker centre. Most probably we will be paying less for our assessment fees this year. Although he is from Malacca, we welcome and consider him an anak Pulau Pinang.
Penangites are fast becoming like people in the Klang Valley – not so friendly and not parochial. For Penang to progress faster and catch up with other cities, we realise that we need to cast our net wider and allow people with new and fresh ideas from other states to be our future CM. People like Teresa Kok, Tony Pua, etc. But it doesn’t mean there are no qualified people from among the present state assemblymen and MPs in Penang. I think the most suitable person to be our next CM is none other than your sassy MP Teresa Kok should Guan Eng decide to take up a federal cabinet post after PR taking over the federal government. I say only ‘if’, so there is no offence to anybody. After all, she is familiar with Penang, having studied in USM. I would definitely vote for her should she contest a state seat in Bayan Baru in the next GE. Would you people in Kinrara and Seputeh lend us your sassy MP? Definitely no, am I right?
Regards
leguan,
thanks for your lengthy reply and thoughts. Although I have limited interaction with penangites, the impression I get, and the admissions I heard is that they are
1) proud of their island
2) elitist
3) want service but do not want to pay
4) kam siap
5) business-minded
6) street smart
very unfair & unfavourable impression?
Your statements has caused me to re-evaluate my impression about Penangites. We are Malaysians and we need to embrace meritocracy. I don’t care about a person’s race, origin, sexual orientation, religion as long as he/she has the welfare of the people, fairness and compassion in his/her soul.
I am not with Seputeh nor Kinrara. I am in Wangsa Maju. If Teresa Kok or Wee Choo Keong end up as your new CM, I would say Penangites will not be disappointed.
I hope Penangites can help YAB Lim in his job by giving constructive citizens, law abiding and patience. I am sure he will listen and adapt. All PR are working under similar restriction:
1) federal dominant the legislation process
2) federal administrative disrupting financial allocation onto state governments controlled by PR
3) federal administration still controlling critical institution like bank negara, MITI, MIDA, securities commission, IPP, PLUS, judiciary, police
we should let PR control the federal administration before we can really assess their effectiveness.
“constructive criticsims” not “constructive citizens”
I agree that Penangites are generally perceived as ‘kiam siap’ But most thirtysomething and younger Penangites are not ‘kiam siap’. Living on a small island, there isn’t much economic opportunity, so naturally they tend to be prudent when spending their hard-earned cash.
It’s very true that Penangites are very proud of their island. My heart swelled with pride when I read Reuters report in New York Times, Washingtonpost and other major newspapers describing Penang as “Asia’s Silicon Valley’ when reporting about the outcome of Malaysia’s 12GE on March 9.
We Penangites have a special identity because we live on an island separated from the peninsula, speak Hokkien with a different accent and many of them have a good grasp of English as well. During the colonial period, the British and Christian missionary established fine public schools on the island – schools such as Penang Free School, SXI, Chung Ling High School, Convent Light Street, PCGHS, etc, and SGGS after Independence. The ex-students of these famous schools were instrumental in making Penang a successful electronics industry centre in SEA, as reported in AWSJ in Hong Kong many years back.
Lacking in opportunity for advancement, many Penangites have migrated to KL, JB and Singapore. There are also a number of Penang ‘Diaspora’ in North America, Australia, UK, etc. Malaysians in general and Penangites in particular have proved their ability to be among the world’s best in certain areas. Nicol David in squash; Jimmy Choo in designing shoes.
Guan Eng says Penang has all the necessary conditions to become a dynamic growth centre. Change Penang to change Malaysia, says Guan Eng.
If the federal government were to be under PR, then Penang and Seberang Prai would have a good chance be developed into an international metropolis. Tun Lim once dreamed of turning Penang into a great international city with his ‘Manhattan Project’ but he couldn’t stay long enough as CM to see his dream turn into reality.
We in Penang of course give our full support to Guan Eng. He is in his late 40s, neither too old nor young to be CM. We understand that he is under restriction from the BN-controlled federal government. Anyway, it is only 108 days he has been in power, but I have faith that Guan Eng is the performing type. What is most important is that Penangites of all races support this PR government.
(lee wee tak, I wrote this piece in my free time during working hrs. Excuse me, Teresa, for……. )