Chow Kon Yeow: 曹观友

Press Statement by DAP Penang chairman and MP for Tanjong Chow Kon Yeow on Friday, 29 December 2006 in Penang.

It is quite impossible for Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon to admit that the appointment of the new CEO of PBAPP Holding Berhad is a result of his succumbing to the political pressure of Penang Umno.

Penang Umno leaders have accused Dr Koh of marginalizing the Malays in the State and gave an ultimatum to the Chief Minister to step down as PBA chairman.

By appointing a more junior manager who leapfrogged over five other more senior Chinese and Indian managers to the CEO position, Dr Koh is merely trying to appease Penang Umno and to save his own skin.

Dr Koh said in a press conference yesterday that the people must not use political or racial consideration as criteria in the appointment and promotion of government officials. He added that only those with the required qualifications should be appointed.

Dr Koh also said that it would be unfair to the new CEO to say he was appointed because of political consideration.

But can Dr Koh also say it is also unfair to those with the right qualification but yet not promoted or appointed to high positions because they do not have the right political or racial credentials.

Dr Koh should stop giving lame excuses to cover up for his own incompetence in administrating the State of Penang. The people of Penang have given a full mandate to Dr Koh the last general election and expect him to rule the State as a Chief Minister with power and authority and not an easy pushover in the face of Penang Umno.

Chow Kon Yeow

My family and I wish everybody a very merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.

Happy Holidays.

Press Statement by DAP Penang Chairman and MP for Tanjong Chow Kon Yeow on Wednesday 21 December 2006.

Resignation of Dato Liew Chook San as CEO of PBA Holdings Berhad due to UMNO pressure?

The Penang DAP expresses its regret over the sudden resignation of Dato Ir Liew Chook San as CEO of PBA Holdings Bhd and General Manager of Perbandanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang.

PBA Holdings Bhd Chairman and Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said that Dato Ir. Liew has decided to leave the company in early 2007 on his own accord.

In his resignation letter, Dato Ir Liew expressed his wish to spend more quality time with his family and pursue things which were of interest to him.

It is hard to believe that Dato Ir. Liew’s sudden resignation is not related to Penang UMNO’s pressure on Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon to get the non-bumiputera CEO replaced with a bumiputera.

Clearly Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon has succumbed once again to UMNO’s political demand and has no choice but to sacrifice Dato Ir Liew despite the latter’s contribution to the PBA.

During Dato Ir Liew’s tenure the PBA Group has undergone corporatisation and public listing successfully.

Tan Sri Dr Koh owe Penangites and PBA shareholders an explanation as to why he has allowed UMNO’s political pressure to triumph over him.

Speech on 11 December on amendment bill to introduce the Certificate of Completion and Complaince to replace the CFO.

Tuan Chow Kon Yeow [Tanjong]: Terima kasih Tuan Yang di-Pertua kerana saya
diberi kesempatan ini untuk mengambil bahagian dalam membahaskan pindaan Rang Undangundang
Jalan, Parit dan Bangunan 1974 di mana soalan pokok dalam pindaan ini adalah untuk
memperkenalkan satu Sistem Perakuan Siap Tanpa Pematuhan yang baru ataupun CCC seperti
DR.11.12.2006 95
mana di hujahkan oleh Yang Berhormat Menteri. Saya rasa pada pokoknya, kita boleh mengalualukan
apa juga langkah-langkah yang baik untuk memperbaiki perjalanan sektor pembinaan
khususnya perumahan untuk rakyat.
Saya rasa usaha pada kali ini sedikit sebanyak akan dapat membantu mengatasi
masalah-masalah yang sekian lama dihadapi oleh para pembeli rumah di negara ini. Isu-isu
berhubung dengan tidak adanya CF ataupun tidak memohon CF sebelum menyerahkan vacant
for session, kerja-kerja yang tidak sempurna dan tidak mematuhi kualiti-kualiti yang ditetapkan
dan sebagainya adalah masalah yang dihadapi oleh pembeli-pembeli rumah di negara ini. (more…)

All the Chinese newspapers reported today the speech given by Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon at a dinner organized by the Penang and Seberang Perai Hawkers Confederation at the Penang Chinese Town Hall on Thursday night.

He said that if Gerakan and MCA were to win less seats than Umno in the next general elections, it would be a problem to have a Chinese Chief Minister. He added that Umno has 15 seats and these two Chinese-based parties must not win fewer seats than Umno.

Dr Koh will be the Gerakan president come the next election and his political view cannot be disregarded.

But why should Dr Koh surrender the CM post to Umno if both the two parties could only win less than 15 seats? In 1990, Dr Koh assumed the CM post even
though Gerakan had seven seats.

The question should not arise at all under the Barisan Nasional’s power-sharing concept.

Umno is not even asking for the Penang CM post and there is no reason for Dr Koh to give it up.

He is just playing the fear factor again. “Vote the DAP and you lose the Chinese CM post”.

Well, Tsu Koon is already hitting the campaign trail now although elections are no where in sight.

I asked in my earlier blog this morning, “How could the Cabinet directs the A-G…”

Not long later, Karpal Singh gave this warning, “The whole Cabinet is in contempt of the court”. He said how could the Cabinet direct the A-G to determine the status of Rayappan.

The A-G would also be in contempt of the court if he makes any decision, he added

“This is against the doctrine of seperation of power,”Karpal added.

He said that the court should be allowed to decide, not the A-G.

The Deputy Defence Minister deliberately waited until the end of his windind-up speech to reply points raised by Kit Siang.Initially, he did not want to admit that commission was given. He relented when Kit Siang pressed on with several questions.He admitted the French company paid the commission. Before I could rise to asked who then received the commission, the Deputy Minister stood down abruptly and ended his reply. Surely he did not want to get himself entangled with the Abdul Razak Baginda’s relationship with the Defence Minister.

Parliament
Thursday December 7, 2006

Commission paid by French firm, not Government

A FRENCH company paid a commission to a local firm awarded a Government contract worth 114 million euro (RM547mil at present exchange rate) for a coordination and support services project, Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Zainal Abidin Zin said.

“We did not pay commission to anyone as claimed by Lim, and the commission was paid voluntarily by France,” said Zainal Abidin. The Lim he was referring to is Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang.

“We cannot stop them if they want to give a commission.

“All the expenditure by the ministry had been tabled in Parliament and audited,” he said.

On the purchase of submarines, Zainal Abidin said they cost 996 million euro (RM4.78bil) and were due to arrive in 2009 and 2010.

Earlier, Lim claimed that a company owned by Abdul Razak Baginda was involved in helping the ministry buy two submarines from a French-Spanish joint venture.

He claimed that Abdul Ra-zak was paid a US$100mil (RM360mil) commission to negotiate the deal between Malaysia and the company.