Guan Eng's Arrest : End Of The Lim Dynasty?

This is from The Star here.

• Guan Eng to be charged on two counts of corruption
• Guan Eng in custody of MACC 
• DAP sec-gen arrested 6.20pm in Komtar after exco meeting
• taken to MACC office, served with warrant on two charges
• under Section 23 and 165 of Anti-Corruption Act
• 1st charge Magnificent Emblem’s application to convert land 
• 2nd charge purchase of bungalow below market value
• charged at Sessions Court tomorrow morning
• Penang DAP meeting Thurs, after Lim charged in court

My comments :  If you go back to that video where Tun Dr Mahathir spoke in Penang most recently, at one point Dr Mahathir looks at Guan Eng and says, "he has some problems there" (or words to that effect). Dr Mahathir was referring to the bungalow case. When I heard Dr Mahathir say that I knew the matter was serious.

My UMNO friend who smsed me this news about five minutes ago said 'tak puas hati Boogees tak kena2 lagi'.

I agree bro. But two wrongs do not make a right.  Just because Boogees can get away with blatant corruption does not recuse other politicians from the same wrongs.

Granted that they have moved quite fast against Guan Eng - which normally happens when the opposition is involved. Khir Toyo's case took years.

I see similarities between this case and Khir Toyo's case.  You cannot separate the two. 

However Khir Toyo's case took so much time to go through the courts.  Well, Khir Toyo is not a DAP member.

 

Guan Eng will be charged and then he will have the right to defend himself.  But how long will the Court process take? 

It can really screw up the timetable for the DAP if the case goes to full hearing before the next General Election.  

But even despite that can Guan Eng continue as Chief Minister when he has been charged for corruption,  even when out on bail and during the court process? 

Good governance and transparency says otherwise.  

Well hail then to Prof. Dr. P. Ramasamy s/o Palanisamy the Deputy Chief Minister of Penang.  Will he be elevated to Chief Minister? Or will the Indians be the "fetchers and getters" only?

If Guan Eng "kena" and is found guilty, who will lead the DAP into the next GE?  

The DAP will most likely retain Penang. 

Who will be the DAP's candidate for CM?  

This is a major opportunity for Prof Ramasamy  to show what the Indians can do. 

If Guan Eng is sent off to jail,  it will be the end of the Lim Dynasty in the DAP. For 50 years, since 1966, Lim Kit Siang has held sway over the DAP.   By any measure this is a family show. 

Having said that the DAP is not without its second echelon leadership. They have plenty of talent.  Whether Mr Lim Senior will allow the DAP free rein to develop and bloom on its own is to be seen. 

Guan Eng has been jailed before - over the Rahim Thamby Chik case.  (That was a mess, we still dont know who really slept with whom).

Lim Guan Eng and I were classmates at the Melaka High School in 1976 and 1977. Later when I got my first bank job at the United Overseas Bank (then known as Chung Khiaw Bank) in 1987, Guan Eng had just left the bank less than a year before me to go full time into politics.  I have only met him once (for a few seconds) since 1977.

It is sad to hear about an old classmate facing something like this.