Lim Gone Eh?

I wonder if Johoreans felt, for lack of better word, slighted when they heard what Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said recently to foreign journalists in Singapore about their state:

“Penang is visibly cleaner not only in terms of running an honest Government but also cleaner physically. Also safer and not to worry about safety in Penang. Penang was number one last year in terms of cutting crime by 27 per cent. For the first six months also cut crime by another 25 per cent. Whereas in Johor, a Singaporean is likely to get kidnapped. Won’t have that problem when you come to Penang.”

I’m afraid the Chief Minister was telling the truth about Penang’s crime statistics. In the Royal Malaysian Police website, Penang’s index crime saw a drop of 27.5% while Johor only saw a drop of 0.3% comparing the periods of Jan-May 2010 and Jan-May 2011. However, all states except Perlis and Pahang saw a drop in the percentage of index crimes for the given period.

Before the foreign journalist could say “Kudos, Guan Eng,” they should not forget that unlike its British counterpartS, the Royal Malaysian Police does not come under the control of respective states. In each state, the police is headed by the Chief Police Officer who is answerable to the Inspector-General of Police. In England there are 39 police forces in England alone; Wales has four while Scotland has eight. They are headed by their respective Commissioner or Chief Constable, who in turn report to the Home Minister.

Therefore, does Guan Eng have the right to gloat and bask in glory, claiming for the success which is not his?  The success of the police in reducing the number of index crimes in Penang and in other states is due to the leadership of the police force, not that of the respective state’s Great Ministers or Chief Ministers.  Furthermore, being a Chief Minister from a party that is part of a loose coalition of political parties that have very little or no respect for the men and women of the Royal Malaysian Police, Guan Eng ought to slap himself for having the balls to claim any credit.  For any FDI that goes to Penang post-August 2011, the supporters of Guan Eng et al should lick the boots of those men and women of the police force they constantly discredit and call names such as UMNO/BN Dogs so on and so forth, and say sorry to them.

Still doesn’t ring a bell, let us try another:

 

Let us not forget that rabid creature, with no respect for the men and women of the police force, who bit a policeman who was discharging his duty:

The rabid creature that bit the police

So, Guan Eng, sorry but you did not do any tangible work to reduce the number of index crimes in Penang and could therefore NOT claim any credit for it.  Shame on you for that, and for failing to mention the fact that the number of index crimes in other states also went down.

“Aiya! Saya manyiak bolo!”