By-elections above state management
Sin Chew Daily
May 7 is a public holiday in Penang. It is not for mourning for the thousands of precious lives lost in the Nepal quake, nor to celebrate Datuk Lee Chong Wei’s return to badminton.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng declared that that he had a better reason: Permatang Pauh.
The reason is unprecedented, and is unlikely to be duplicated elsewhere in the world. No countries will declare a public holiday for the sake of a minority of people.
This is not the first time in Penang, though. The last time was in 2008, also in Permatang Pauh.
The by-election is a matter of 70,000-odd voters in a constituency. Only they can vote or not vote. A public holiday for the rest of the 1.6 million of Penangites is impertinent.
The 70,000 plus voters in Permatang Pauh can exercise their duties to vote with or without a public holiday. Permatang Pauh is not too large, and there is accessibility. Travelling to and from the island can be done in under one hour. Permatang Pauh residents who need to vote on that day can always apply for leave from their employers and there is no reason for their employers to say no.
While many people enjoy the extra one day off, the state’s economic activities might be affected. It could be billions of ringgit in economic loss and millions of productive work hours lost.
Some in the state government have said they want to emulate Singapore’s efficiency, but for a major incident as the passing of the city state’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, not a day off was offered to the citizens.
This is the difference between a government that emphasises election and one that emphasises management efficiency.
From the aspect of good governance, how can a responsible government sacrifice the state’s economy and productivity for the sake of a smaller group of people who need to vote in a by-election?
Winning an election and running a government well are two very different things. Winning the election means the interest of a small group of people has been achieved, but management is about the interest of the majority of people.
Sure enough as DAP’s secretary-general, Lim Guan Eng might think winning Permatang Pauh is of utmost importance to him and therefore the party’s resources must be mobilised to see that it is achieved.
But, as the chief minister of Penang, his responsibility should be managing his state properly and to do so with the interest of majority of Penangites as his motive. Deliberately declaring a public holiday to serve his political motives, jeopardising the state’s economy and productivity in so doing, is both inappropriate and an form of abuse of power.
