I’ll debate with Umno ministers because I respect the party, Guan Eng tells Wee

Looi Sue-Chern Looi Sue-Chern Updated 8 years ago · Published on 14 Mar 2018 3:00PM · 6 Comments

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng says he respects Umno's position as the lynchpin party in Barisan Nasional. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, March 14, 2018.

PENANG chief minister Lim Guan Eng today said he was willing to debate with Umno ministers over various issues because he respected the Barisan Nasional lynchpin party.

He said this after Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Dr Wee Ka Siong accused him of practising double standards for being willing to debate with Umno ministers in the past but not an MCA minister like himself.

Lim said Wee, who is MCA deputy president, should know the difference between his party and Umno.

“If Umno wants to take a MCA seat like Bandar Tun Razak, it can. What can MCA do about it? Who are you, MCA? 

“Umno is the ruling party. We respect Umno as the ruling party. Umno is our rival when we fight but we respect the party. It won 89 parliamentary seats (in the 2013 general election) while MCA won seven and DAP 38,” he told a press conference in Komtar today.

“The number one leader is the prime minister, number two is the deputy prime minister; and protocol wise they are in higher positions than the chief minister. 

“We accept that. So, when we issue challenges, we have to respect the positions. So, we challenge the ministers. MCA has to accept the reality of its position as a party.”

Lim, who is DAP secretary-general, and Wee have been in a public spat since January, when the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) began investigating the project. 

The spat escalated when Lim declined to debate with Wee, saying that the MCA No. 2 was not at his level.

“We are willing to debate, but it must be between leaders of equal standing. I will accept the challenge if it comes from the party No. 1,” Lim said.

He also told Wee to respond to a challenge to debate by DAP vice-president Nga Kor Ming at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

Lim also challenged Wee to name the Penang politician who had allegedly received kickbacks for the undersea tunnel and highways project.

 “I want to challenge him to boldly name which state government, who is corrupt and complicit in the (alleged) corruption act by the contractor Zenith that was awarded the project.

“Until now he has not named any state government leader who had received kickbacks of millions of ringgit, as reported in the Barisan Nasional media. If he has no proof, he should stay silent.”

Lim said the Penang government was sick and tired of answering questions raised by Wee about the tunnel and highways project that were based on lies, like how the minister had previously remarked that a fashion company was building the tunnel and the agreements on the project were not stamped or signed.

“It is a lie (that there was corruption at state level), as the project was awarded via an open tender. Before payments were made, the claims were even checked by an independent engineering consultancy firm. 

“We appointed and paid HSS Integrated to check the contractor’s claims. To my knowledge, HSSI has yet to be called up by MACC. In that sense, where is the corruption?” – March 14, 2018.

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Comments

  • Wee Wee !!! you are being ridiculed.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You asked for it. LGE !!! Good rebut!!!!

    Posted 8 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply

  • It is true there is no reason to debate Wee because MCA is going to be wiped out..BUT Wee is very skill in ruthless attack. Its NOT going to be debate of facts and issues. Its ruthless bloodsport in any debate of LGE and Wee. LGE is afraid of Wee, so what? Wee has never shown he really can stand high enough on the issue to let the bloodsport happens.

    Posted 8 years ago by Bigjoe Lam · Reply

  • LGE n Wee, please stop this nonsense n rhetoric. This is not what the rakyat wanted to see. Ridiculing one another n talking down over one another does not sit well wt the rakyat. It only display pride n arrogance. Let the authorities do their duties to charge the corrupt officials. Let us see the outcome that each party has been given a fair trial. Let the results speaks for itself

    Posted 8 years ago by Peace Maker · Reply

  • What Lim Guan Eng says is true. When you debate or have any sort of competition, there should be a prize for the victor, and no shame for the loser, and this can only happen when the contention is between equals.

    A debate between Lim Guan Engabd Wee Ka Siong is hugely disadvantageous to Lim, and over advantageous to Wee.

    It is disadvantageous to Lim because if lim Guan Eng win, he gets no prize, because there is no glory in defeating the leader the leader of a small party like MCA , but were he to lose the debate against Wee, it would be disproportionately shameful for Lim, as the leader of perhaps the second biggest party in the country to today, to lose to a leader of a small party like MCA.

    It is disadvantageous to Lim because if lim Guan Eng win, he gets no prize, because there is no glory in defeating the leader the leader of a small party like MCA , but were he to lose the debate against Wee, it would be disproportionately shameful for Lim, as the leader of perhaps the second biggest party in the country to today, to lose to a leader of a small party like MCA.

    It is overly advantageous to Wee because if Wee were to win, he gets a huge prize,because there great no glory in defeating the leader of a large party like DAP , but were he to lose the debate against Lim, it wont be considered a defeat at all, because there is no shame in losing to a leader of a bigger party like DAP.

    A debate between Lim and Wee is not fair , because all the advantage is stacked in favour of Wee, while all the disadvantage is stacked against the favour of Lim.

    But despite the truth in what Lim guan eng said, it would have been better if someone else said it. If someone else, same one else as in perhaps a council of elder chinese men said it, it would have just sounded fair.

    Lim guan eng himself saying it, drowns the sound of the truth in what he says, by making it sounds like 1) lim guan eng is afraid of the challenge by Wee or 2) Lim Guan Eng thinks too highly of himself or 3) lim guan has humiliated Wee ka Siong.

    Posted 8 years ago by Nehru Sathiamoorthy · Reply

  • What Lim Guan Eng says is true.

    When you debate or have any sort of competition, there should be a prize for the victor, and no shame for the loser, and this can only happen when the contention is between equals.

    A debate between Lim Guan Eng and Wee Ka Siong is hugely disadvantageous to Lim, and over advantageous to Wee.

    It is disadvantageous to Lim because if lim Guan Eng win, he gets no prize, because there is no glory in defeating the leader the leader of a small party like MCA , but were he to lose the debate against Wee, it would be disproportionately shameful for Lim, as the leader of perhaps the second biggest party in the country to today, to lose to a leader of a small party like MCA.

    It is overly advantageous to Wee because if Wee were to win, he gets a huge prize,because there is great glory in defeating the leader of a large party like DAP , but were he to lose the debate against Lim, it wont be considered a defeat at all, because there is no shame in losing to a leader of a bigger party like DAP.

    A debate between Lim and Wee is not fair , because all the advantage is stacked in favour of Wee, while all the disadvantage is stacked against the favour of Lim.

    But despite the truth in what Lim guan eng said, it would have been better if someone else said it. If someone else, same one else as in perhaps a council of elderly chinese men said it, it would have just sounded fair. That Lim guan eng himself said it on the other hand, drowns the sound of the truth in what he says, by making it sounds like 1) lim guan eng is afraid of the challenge by Wee or 2) Lim Guan Eng thinks too highly of himself or 3) lim guan has humiliated Wee ka Siong.

    Posted 8 years ago by Nehru Sathiamoorthy · Reply

  • If there were some policies worth debating, then political debate has some merit. But Harapan has no policies, just an ill formed list of vote buying strategies. With little commitment to anything and no way of determining accountability. So debate, Malaysian Style is an exercise in one-upmanship, where insecure little men try to assert their righteousness. In fact, in its totality, this electioneering is nothing more that point scoring by politicians TO THE NEGLECT OF THE ELECTORATE

    Posted 8 years ago by Dennis Madden · Reply