NGO to Koh: Quit state BN chief post

A local-based NGO says the Gerakan president is a political liability to the Barisan Nasional.

GEORGE TOWN: A local Indian-based NGO today described Koh Tsu Koon as a political liability and called on the Gerakan president to quit as Barisan Nasional (BN) state chairman.

Penang Indian Development Organisation (Pido) chairman M Ngnanasegaran said BN needed a more vibrant leader at the helm to represent all Penangites.

He said that BN would be handing over Penang again to the Pakatan Rakyat on a silver platter if Koh still headed the state leadership.

“Penangites get upset easily with just the mention of Koh’s name. He is a political liability to BN,” he told a press conference here today.

Ngnanasegaran said it was time for Prime Minister and BN national chairman Najib Tun Razak to find a more dynamic, vibrant and charismatic leader to replace Koh, currently a federal minister in charge of unity and performance portfolios.

Undercurrent sentiments in the Penang BN, including in Gerakan, have been growing against Koh’s leadership since the last general election, which Pakatan won.

Koh recently claimed that his 18-year tenure as chief minister was not a flop, citing Penang International Sports Arena, Batu Kawan’s state stadium and Queensbay Mall as his success stories.

However, Ngnanasegaran said all these mega projects did little to improve the standard of living of Penangites, especially the working class ethnic Indians.

Indian plight

He acknowledged that the dams in Mengkuang and Teluk Bahang, the Jelutong Expressway, and the Butterworth Outer Ring Road (BORR) were built during Koh’s time.

“But the projects took years to be completed.

“Indeed, the Penang Outer Ring Road (PORR) never took off at all,” he added.

He said that during Koh’s tenure and even until today, the Indian community had always been plagued with problems related to land issues, funds for Tamil schools and Hindu temples, and housing and business opportunities.

“But Koh never really addressed the Indian plight,” claimed Ngnanasegaran.

He said that Koh was to be blamed as much as current Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for the fiasco over the Indian traditional village, Kampung Buah Pala.

He recalled that Koh set aside the village land for the posh Oasis condominium development without clearly addressing the issue of compensation.

Due to this, he said the village residents were left at the mercy of current government.

Fundamental needs

A few days after taking over the state, he said Lim sealed the villagers’ fate by transferring the land title without considering their plight.

Ngnanasegaran said currently nine families of the destroyed Kampung Buah Pala have been denied their rights for compensation and “both Koh and Lim have washed their hands of the matter”.

He chided both Koh and Lim for failing to address and resolve the Indian socio-economic issues.

He also took a swipe at the state government’s lack of interest to implement low-cost and low-medium-cost housing schemes over the past three years.

He claimed that many lower-income earners, especially Indians and Malays, have been forced to shift to mainland Seberang Perai or even to other states due to lack of affordable and comfortable houses on the island for them.

“It exposes the current government’s incompetency to address the fundamental needs of the people,” said Ngnanasegaran.