Letter from Ronnie Liu
By Ronnie Lie
At this juncture, I humbly request that my colleagues and peers to take heed that we should not use the media to voice and settle our differences, if any, but should in a matured and professional manner resolve conflicts through the proper channels in the party and within Pakatan.
When I wake up in the morning, sometimes I wish things were different.
Learning to settle down as part of the government in the state of Selangor has not been easy. I dread reading the MSM (mainstream media). So much energy is wasted as BN and Pakatan Rakyat bash each other, trying to outdo each other, and to show to the public how we are good at condemning each other.
Spins, lies, innuendos and blatant manipulation of the MSM by the BN has left many of us exco members tired, with not much energy to focus on governing.
Trying to deliver our election promises has not been easy, as the little Napoleons in government service continue to make life difficult for us to implement new measures. Lack of orderly and scheduled communication channel among Selangor Pakatan government leaders and party leaders/members create opportunities for BN opportunists to create lies, and most times, trying to create animosity among ourselves.
The ‘fire-fighting’ seems endless. Being new in government, my Pakatan colleagues and I struggle to learn the ropes, sometimes in a very hostile environment of civil servants. I am just thankful we have an effective CEO as MB. The MB has been a very good example of government leadership and has helped us settle down in our respective roles as state exco. However, even his energy is drained because of the ‘over politicking’ environment.
For me personally, in the midst of such a situation, having someone experienced to help me will be definitely an asset. Yet behind my back, my office and letterheads were wrongfully used. It is impossible to keep tabs on everything. That’s why I only recently discovered what was happening when someone sent to my office the ‘abused letterheads’.
In practicing CAT (competency, accountability and transparency), we tried to be fair to Tee Boon Hock by carrying out our own investigations to get to the truth of the matter. However, when it became public knowledge, I believe the party did what it thought was right. As a loyal DAP party member, I have submitted myself to the proceedings of the disciplinary committee and will cooperate to the utmost.
At this juncture, I humbly request that my colleagues and peers to take heed that we should not use the media to voice and settle our differences, if any, but should in a matured and professional manner resolve conflicts through the proper channels in the party and within Pakatan.
Press conferences should only be conducted after the party has resolved issues and not before. We should not create a culture where every issue is discussed through the media. Knowing who controls the MSM, we should not give the BN the opportunity to create spins and lies to distract the public from their own problems.
We must not forget our real battle – to overthrow BN, not our own members. We need to have more regular communication. Among those in government – state exco, Adun (state assemblypersons), MPs, PBT (local authorites), councillors and Pakatan party members. We are all going through a learning curve, and we need to consolidate our relationships, whatever the ranks and positions we hold.
It’s time to take stock, time to reflect, review and re-strategise! The enemy is BN!
I am not absolving myself from blame over this incident. I am just requesting that all leaders put aside our personal differences and come together more often to re-build and consolidate our relationships.
Our struggle has been long and arduous. At last, we have a chance to really bring change to our beloved Malaysia. Let’s do it right – for our families and the families of all Malaysians. We owe this to our future generation. Let’s build a new Malaysia together.
Ronnie Liu
DAP CC member, Pandamaran Adun and Selangor state executive councillor
