GEORGE TOWN – Some political observers are seeing similarities between the federal-level political tussle and that which hit Penang in 1971 when the then chief minister lost his majority.
Six assemblymen had exited Gerakan and withdrawn support for then chief minister Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu.
This left the state assembly with Lim’s 12 Gerakan reps, six in the opposition led by the late Tan Sri Tan Kee Choon, and another 12 aligned with the Alliance, comprising Umno, MCA and MIC.
“Lim knew that it was virtually impossible to govern an impoverished Penang with no support from the federal government, so he made overtures to the then prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, who agreed for the sake of stability to work with Gerakan. Gerakan was an opposition party at the federal level,” Penang Malay Association (Pemenang) president Tan Sri Mohd Yussof Latiff told The Vibes.
Pemenang is the oldest Malay organisation in the country at 94 years old.
Yussof, who was the then state Alliance secretary, said he had been earlier instructed by Razak to seek an audience with the then Penang governor Tun Syed Sheh Al-Haj Syed Hassan Barakbah to dissolve the state assembly.
“But it was halted at the last minute when Gerakan and the Alliance reached a compromise.”
That incident sparked the setting up of the Barisan Nasional coalition, which, at its height, had 14 parties ruling all states from 1972 until 2008, except for Kelantan.
This point in history shows the need for sacrifice, and the Covid-19 pandemic today amplifies its importance, said 91-year-old Yussof, who also served as Penang’s first chief minister Tan Sri Michael Wong Pow Nee’s secretary.
Half a century ago, poverty was the underlying cause to fight against. Now, it is healthcare and becoming economically deprived if the pandemic is not contained. Both, if not handled well, will lead to the loss of lives.
“The temporary political ceasefire that Lim earned paved the way for an unprecedented level of development for Penang. It transformed the state’s fortunes, from a fast-sinking regional port trade status to a global hub for the manufacture of electronics and electrical goods.”
Yussof, who ended up becoming Lim’s political secretary for a term, said Razak was emboldened to form BN because of the breakthrough he had secured with Lim.
There is no other way to resolve the present crisis other than a compromise being reached, he said.
If we are lost, we should go back to the original route, and if we do not know our history, we will continue to make mistakes of the past.”
Selangor Gerakan vice-chairman Ivanpal Singh Grewal said there are similarities between the two events, but cautioned that now, Putrajaya has to get its act together to manage the pandemic.
It is imperative that at least midterm resolutions be found, he said.
Penang PKR vice-chairman Jason Ong Khan Lee believes that the grassroots are ready for a unity government to navigate the country past the health crisis, a recession and political instability.
“We have been depressed for more than 18 months. Let’s give the nation something to cheer for.” – The Vibes, August 17, 2021
