All Zambry’s saying is give Hee a chance

By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider

Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir has asked that Perakians give Jelapang assemblyman Hee Yit Fong a chance to serve.

In an exclusive interview recently with The Malaysian Insider, Zambry expressed his hope that Hee, who has become a much hated figure to Pakatan Rakyat supporters, be given an opportunity to prove herself.

Calling the level of dissent against her "life-threatening," he said that she, the two former PKR state executive council members, Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and Osman Jailu, and the other Barisan Nasional assemblymen should be judged based on their service records.

Hee, whose position as deputy speaker is also in question, has not been seen in public for nearly a month, avoiding the brunt of anger from a large number of voters who are feeling betrayed by her decision to leave the DAP and support the BN administration as an independent member of the state assembly.

Various objects have been thrown, hung and left at her home and service centre while an effigy of her was also burnt in a mock Chinese funeral rite following the Feb 5 power grab by BN.

"I do not think we should go to that extent when it comes to practising democracy in Malaysia," Zambry said.

"She is still the ADUN of Jelapang. I have been appealing to people, please give her a chance to serve. She wants to serve the people," he said.

Insisting that he has been in touch with her, he said that her political career, along with that of the former PKR duo, was not over, as there have been many politicians in the past who have crossed over to another party but still continue to command the support of their constituents.

"It all comes down to your service. Whether you are BN or PR, if you do not perform, then people will reject you. So give Hee a chance to serve the people, then you judge her.

"Similarly for Jamaluddin and Osman, myself and the rest. If we do not serve, the people will not vote for us," the Pangkor assemblyman said.

Zambry pointed to his own victory in Pangkor in the March 2008 general election where he increased his majority by 116 votes to 5,785.

"I thank my voters who supported me. I am not saying that I am the best elected representative, but I had an increased majority despite the tsunami. In fact, the highest majority among BN candidates in Perak due to my service record," he said.

Zambry realises, however, that he will be under intense spotlight during his tenure and has hardly had time to settle into the menteri besar's office at the state secretariat.

Pictures of ousted Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin have been removed but have not been replaced yet by those of Zambry’s and the gold-on-black plastic name signs of Nizar's staff have been replaced only by cut-out computer-printed paper glued to the wooden holders.

Unlike other menteris besar, Zambry will only have a maximum four-year term ahead of him to perform before Perakians go to the polls again, so he knows that there is no time to waste in getting his administration running.

Giving the interview to The Malaysian Insider as investors sat waiting outside his office, he said he was "fully aware of this situation," when it was suggested that he had one of the most difficult jobs in the country given that any mistake would most certainly be pounced upon.

"That is why I am trying to be very objective in carrying out my responsibility and the most important thing is to deliver," he added.

Zambry is keen to make good as menteri besar by picking up where the previous BN MB, Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali, had left off.

"Some of the investors had committed to us before PR came into power as part of our Perak 2015 blueprint for the development of Perak," he said, adding that it had been implemented for about two years before Tajol was ousted in the last general election.

While he admitted that the political and economic situation required the plan to be reviewed, it would be implemented nonetheless to address Zambry's "main concern," that is "to create job opportunities for Perakians."

"In this economic downturn, we need to find certain solutions in order to avoid unemployment among factory workers and undergraduates."

But with Perak BN having lost in the general election and garnering only 46 per cent of the popular vote, Zambry knows that he must preside over a reformed coalition in the state if he wants to enjoy a second term as MB.

He acknowledges that the Umno-dominated coalition needs to regain the support of non-Malays as well as younger voters.

"We have to rectify our weaknesses and bring change to move forward. BN has existed since independence so certain modes of thinking need to be changed in terms of how we present ourselves to the people," he explained.

The former Perak Umno Youth chief cited, as an example, the question of whether bringing development was still "saleable or do people want new ideas of governing" such as the perception that there is a willingness to stamp out corruption.

"I want to have participatory development not just in governance but social engagement. We seem to have taken for granted NGOs, which I consider a third political force, and insofar only engaged them in an ad hoc manner. I think it is time to listen to them in a more cohesive way," Zambry said.

His immediate challenge will be to oversee the campaign charge for the Bukit Gantang by-election. Despite the constitutional crisis that accompanied his appointment as menteri besar, he believes that Umno has a better shot at defeating Pas after last year's defeat.

"I am sure PR will say that we stole the government away, but I think we will change our campaign strategy. We will have to engage the voters, even if it is one-on-one, we need to engage them person to person," he said.

Should BN be successful, it would bode well for an attempt to retain the state government at the ballots and allow Zambry to rectify another problem.

With only one non-Malay BN assemblyman in Perak, he has ended up with a huge racial imbalance in his government.

His attempt to correct this by appointing Gerakan deputy president Datuk Chang Ko Youn and MIC vice-president Datuk S. Veerasingam as advisors to his executive council has led to criticism by the opposition for being unconstitutional and also MCA for asking Gerakan to advise on Chinese affairs when it feels it is better placed for such a role.

But he defended it as an effort to "create a racial balance in my government" and clarified that "they are not policymakers and not the ones who make decisions although they are responsible to help us."

"We must have a better balance after the next general election. I hope voters are rational enough to give a chance to our non-Malay candidates," he said.