27 June, 2008
In Selangor and Kedah, fights over power deals and logging undermine opposition's rule
The Straits Times
TROUBLE is brewing in two states ruled by the three-party Pakatan Rakyat (PR), led by former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.
About 100 Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) supporters gathered outside its office on Tuesday to complain that too few of its members were appointed as town councillors in Selangor, amid a controversy involving an aide of the Chief Minister.
And in Kedah, padi farmers and environmentalists are challenging the PR state government after it insisted on going ahead with logging in a forest reserve to raise development funds, The Star newspaper reported.
The troubles seem to indicate that the three-month honeymoon period with voters and their supporters is over for the opposition parties. At another level, it looks like the fight for the spoils of the electoral victory has begun.
PR is made up of multiracial PKR, Islamist Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) and the Chinese-led Democratic Action Party.
A Selangor PKR division head, Dr Badrul Amin, said: 'We are angry that many of our party warriors...were not appointed to the government, including as local councillors.'
Of the 288 councillors appointed, seven were from PKR.
'The anger has been fuelled further as our state secretary, Mohd Yahya Mat Sahri, was suspended for a yet-to-be-proven allegation,' he was quoted as saying by The Star on Wednesday.
Mr Mohd Yahya quit on Wednesday as an aide to the Selangor Menteri Besar and as Selangor PKR secretary, a blow to the party which has been projecting an image of strength and unity. He was suspended on Monday for allegedly being involved in approvals for cleaning and garbage collection contracts.
In Kedah, the PAS-led government plans to go ahead with cutting trees in the Ulu Muda forest reserve. The forest draws rainwater which is collected in three dams - Pedu, Ahning and Muda. The water is channelled for irrigating padi fields and part of it is sold to Penang, now also one of the PR-ruled states.
Kedah Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak, defending the planned logging concession, has said that even if the federal government were to allocate RM100 million (S$41 million) for the state's development, it would be insufficient.
'We are too obsessed with preserving the trees that we don't cut them. We leave the trees till they get old and die,' he said in response to anger over the logging plan.
Kedah padi farmers and the Penang government have said cutting the trees could dramatically reduce the catchment area, the New Straits Times reported on Wednesday. 'The Kedah government should not commit suicide. Water resources are important,' said Penang Water Board general manager Jaseni Maidinsa.
1 comment:
The previous government has no brain, the existing Kedah government is brainless. There are many other ways for the government to bring in money. Cutting tress in the reserved forest is the last thing they should do. Maybe this government only know cutting trees, but nothing else.
Post a Comment