Lim feels sorry for smear campaign against Koh
By Patrick Lee, FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: In a rare show of support for his rival, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng felt sorry for his predecessor – Koh Tsu Koon- over an apparent smear campaign to remove the latter from power.
Lim claimed that the mainstream media was attacking Koh over his apparent inability to keep Gerakan – his party – in check.
“I can symphathise with what Koh is going through now, because if we read the Umno-owned newspapers, such as the New Straits Times, Berita Harian or Utusan Malaysia, it is clear that there is a campaign to topple Koh,” he told reporters in Parliament lobby today.
“If you read some of the articles against Koh, (they are) ferocious…especially Utusan (Malaysia). It is clear that they reflect a certain kind of thinking in Umno, and they want to finish off Koh.”
Lim, the DAP secretary-general, also said that he did not want to be a part of this apparent plot, and was adamant about staying out of it.
“It is clear that Umno will decide who will become the leader of Gerakan, and they will decide who will become the Chief Minister in Penang (if BN were to win over Penang in the general election),” he said.
Gerakan’s National Delegates Conference over the weekend saw a series of attacks levelled out against Koh, who is also party president.
His vice-president Tan Lian Hoe initially called for Koh to buck up or step aside but turned her decision around and threw her support for him 24 hours later.
The party’s delegates also criticised the former CM, slamming him for not coming up with any concrete statements over the embattled Gerakan.
Some party members even suggested Koh take on Lim in the upcoming general election in the latter’s constituency in Bagan.
To this, Lim said that the DAP was ready.
“We in DAP welcome any challenge…I will respect any opponent that is sent against us from BN, whether it is Koh or not,” he said.
Gerakan lost control over Penang in the last general election, allowing the Pakatan Rakyat to romp home in style, with DAP leading the charge.
