SHARANJIT SINGH: What’s your beef, Guan Eng?

IT was supposed to be a joyous day to mark his first anniversary as Penang chief minister and also a chance for him to bask in the glory of having dethroned Gerakan from their crown jewel state.
However, far from being in a celebratory mood, Lim Guan Eng — who is also DAP secretary-general — was enraged after reading an opinion piece in last week’s New Sunday Times.

What’s his beef? The astute politician admitted he screamed with rage after reading the article which chastised his administration’s style.

Lim was apparently upset and felt maligned over the assertions that he was dishing out preferential treatment to the media and also businesses in the piece entitled “Guan Eng trait that’s difficult to swallow”.

It is normal for politicians to vent their anger against journalists (and their editors) whenever a story not to their liking sees print.
However, he has since gone a step further and barred all press releases from the chief minister’s office from being sent to selected media groups and certain journalists are now persona non grata at his press conferences.

It is Lim’s prerogative to give such a directive but he should be mindful that in his one year in office, he has already had clashes with various journalists.

Shortly after assuming office, national news agency Bernama and Utusan Malaysia were the first to come under his line of fire, when they were accused of playing up sensitive issues.

As chief minister, Lim should realise that unleashing his fury this way is at his own peril and his attitude towards the press has become the talk of the town.

All this from the same person who claims to be a champion of press freedom.

Lim had condemned the shortlived ban on reporters covering press conferences at Parliament lobby last year.

Was it also not the same Lim who expressed “dismay, disappointment and shock” six months ago when a Penang-based journalist was arrested for 24 hours under the Internal Security Act?

He was quoted at the time as saying that journalists should be free to report the news and not be intimidated by any party.

While he has been equally vocal in condemning the suspensions of newspapers previously, Lim is now suffering from amnesia about the party’s stand on press freedom when a commentary not to his liking is printed.

It is ironic that after just a year in power, Lim has lost the goodwill of the media, including bloggers and non-governmental organisations.

His administration style is now under close scrutiny; a fact acknowledged by his own chief of staff Jeff Ooi in a recent posting on his Screenshots blogspot.

Never has there been such knee-jerk reaction to media reports from the chief minister’s office, even during the much criticised 18-year leadership of Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon.

“Never before, no matter how unhappy we were with press reports did we ever ban any paper from the chief minister’s office.

“It is outrageous that the media is being barred from a public office which dictates policies for all of Penang,” a Gerakan member said.

Other state Pakatan Rakyat leaders have now gone behind Lim’s back and expressed the view to prominent investors here that Lim should realise DAP is not the only party running the state administration.

Now DAP chairman Karpal Singh has waded into the controversy, stating he would raise the matter at the party’ central executive committee meeting later this month.

“I will bring this matter up internally. It is serious and requires discussion.

“It affects the integrity of the state administration and I will not let it go just like that.”

Perhaps Lim should consider taking a leaf from the book of former US president Theodore Roosevelt, who based many of his policies on the West African proverb: “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” NST