Yesterday, I had a 90-minute meeting with the Kedah DAP State Committee followed by a two-hour dialogue with the people of Kedah in the Kedah Chinese Assembly Hall, with overflowing capacity crowd, over the Kedah DAP State Committee’s decision on Wednesday to pull out of the Pakatan Rakyat Kedah state government.
I had my hands full in Parliament on Wednesday, with a host of burning issues such as the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone scandal; the urgent need to have a new Inspector-General of Police to provide new police leadership and vision to create an efficient, incorruptible, professional world-class police service which is regarded as friend and protector of the people and capable of performing the three core functions to keep crime low, eradicate corruption and uphold human rights; and Parliament becoming a kangaroo court to punish eight Pakatan Rakyat MPs when the subject is the punishment of Umno Youth leaders who had obstructed and threatened wheelchair-bound DAP National Chairman and MP for Bukit Gelugor Karpal Singh from discharging his parliamentary duties in the precincts of Parliament on February 26, 2009.
I was shocked when I heard the news about the Kedah DAP State Committee decision to pull out of the Pakatan Rakyat Kedah state government, subject to the final decision of the DAP Central Executive Committee.
At that time, it was alleged that Kedah DAP had acted very irresponsibly in pulling out of the PR Kedah state government over a trivial issue of pigs and the demolition of the abbatoir in Alor Star.
I would agree that Kedah DAP State would have acted most irresponsibly, heedless of the far-reaching impact of such a decision not only in Kedah but also nation-wide when Malaysians are expectantly waiting for Pakatan Rakyat to spearhead political changes in the country particularly in the next general election, if its harsh decision was just over an abbatoir and pigs.
From my 90-minute meeting with the Kedah DAP State Committee and two-hour dialogue with the people of Kedah last evening, I have been able to get a fuller picture of the reasons for the harsh decision for the pullout from Pakatan Rakyat Kedah state government –as the abbatoir issue was just “the last straw that broke the camel’s back”.
There was a host of issues over which the DAP Kedah state committee felt frustrated and marginalized in unable to get their views taken seriously by the state government, which is reflected by deep-seated grievances among the people of Kedah including those who had fully supported and voted for the Pakatan Rakyat parties in the general election last year.
I do not want DAP Kedah to pullout of Pakatan Rakyat Kedah state government for it would affect Pakatan Rakyat’s credibility nation-wide. However, if the legitimate grouses of DAP Kedah and the people of Kedah are not addressed, resulting not only in an ineffective DAP Kedah but also discontented Kedah electorate, this will also impact far and wide outside Kedah.
The Pakatan Rakyat Kedah crisis is best resolved at the Kedah state level, which is why I said at the public dialogue last night that I propose to meet with the Kedah Mentri Besar, Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak and that I was even prepared to meet with him today. This had been communicated to Azizan last night.
I have in mind a three-point formula to resolve the Pakatan Rakyat Kedah crisis:
• resolution of outstanding complaints by Kedahans such as the 50% housing quota for bumiputras, Kedah Buddhist centre controversy, pork selling in the Alor Star market, temple demolitions, etc.
• a committee headed Dr. Goh Cheng Teik to resolve the abbatoir problem. Dr. Goh was formerly Deputy Agriculture Minister and had considerable experience in resolving problems in this field when holding this portfolio. I have spoken to Dr. Goh and he is prepared to help if such a state committee is set up by the state government.
• a Pakatan Rakyat trouble-shooting state mechanism to resolve all emerging issues, problems and controversies in Kedah.
Barisan Nasional parties particularly Umno, MCA, Gerakan and MIC are hoping that the Pakatan Rakyat Kedah crisis is the beginning of the end for Pakatan Rakyat and it is incumbent on everyone in Pakatan Rakyat, whether national or state, to prove Barisan Nasional wrong.