Lim Guan Eng: Pingat - Tak timbul isu DAP menghina istana...

Lim Guan Eng menjelaskan bahawa masanya belum tiba untuk parti itu membincangkan soal penerimaan pingat kebesaran dari istana di kalangan ahli-ahli partinya.

Menurutnya, tumpuan DAP sekarang adalah memberikan khidmat terbaik kepada rakyat yang mengundi mereka dalam pilihan raya.

"Kita berjuang dalam politik demi rakyat, bukan kerana gelaran. Itu bukan tujuan kita," katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian sewaktu mengulas cadangan Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri Sekinchan Ng Suee Lim yang menggesa DAP mengkaji semula peraturan tidak bertulis yang tidak menggalakkan ahli menerima pingat dan darjah kebesaran istana.

Hujah Ng, DAP wajar menerima anugerah istana untuk menangkis tohmahan yang dilemparkan terhadap DAP sebagai parti yang anti-Melayu.

Menurut Lim, beliau sendiri tidak dapat memberikan kata putus berkenaan perkara itu kerana dikhuatiri memberikan gambaran yang salah kepada umum.

"Kalau saya kata 'ya' (boleh terima), nampak macam saya mahu pingat.

"Kalau saya kata 'jangan' (terima), orang kata saya hina istana," katanya sambil menambah beliau masih selesa dibahasakan sebagai 'saudara' seperti amalan sedia ada DAP.
 
'Tokong': Apa diperlukan sudah dilakukan

Pada masa sama, beliau tetap akur dan hormat kepada hak Raja-Raja Melayu untuk menganugerahkan pingat dan darjah kebesaran.

"Ini hak mutlak Raja-Raja, kita tak boleh persoalkan. Kita mesti terima perkenan Raja dahulu dalam hal ini.

"Yang penting kita bukan kejar gelaran," katanya.

Lim turut menganggap isu transkrip perbincangan PKR Pulau Pinang yang dibocorkan dan mengandungi butiran pembahagian kerusi dalam pilihan raya umum akan datang ditutup dan tidak dibincangkan lebih lanjut.

"Saya menganggapnya sudah selesai. Semuanya sudah dibincangkan dan apa-apa yang perlu dilakukan, sudah dilakukan," katanya.

Dalam transkrip itu, Timbalan Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang, Datuk Dr Mansor Othman dilaporkan merujuk Lim sebagai 'angkuh', 'sombong' dan ibarat 'tokong'.

Mansor bagaimana pun menafikan beliau merujuk Lim sebagai 'angkuh' dan "sombong' tetapi menjelaskan perumpamaan 'tokong' yang disebutnya dimaksudkan sebagai pujian dan pengiktirafan kepada Lim.- malaysiakini

 Datukship:I don’t think there is any issue 
about us not respecting the royalty, 
says Guan Eng...

Lim Guan Eng stressed today DAP is not in politics to pursue datukship, but declined to tread into politically-sensitive waters on whether the party will change its unwritten rule of not accepting such titles.

“This is a dangerous question. If I answer we will accept, it will appear as if we are in for titles; if I say will not accept, we will appear as if we are disrespectful to the royalty,” Lim told a press conference at the DAP headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
 
He was responding to Sekinchan state assemblyperson Ng Suee Lim’s suggestion that party leaders accept such titles from the Malay rulers to prevent the party from being labelled as anti-Malay and anti-royalty.

Lim said the matter did not arise as no title was being offered to DAP representatives at present.

“I don’t think there is any issue about us not respecting the royalty. The sultans will need to award them first, so the matter does not arise,” he said.

Lim added that the party’s main purpose would still remain serving the rakyat, rather than for titles.

“I am comfortable being called saudara (mister). Even after I retire, I will be comfortable with it,” said Lim, who is also Penang chief minister.

The issue of state titles arose in late 2010 after speculation that DAP’s Sungai Pinang state assemblyperson Teng Chang Khim (left) was about to be granted a datukship.

However, the party did not oppose Teng’s acceptance of the title after it was revealed that the award came directly from the recommendation of the Selangor palace for his role as Selangor state legislative assembly speaker.

‘Tokong matter has passed’

Lim also declined to comment on being called a tokong (deity) by Penang Deputy Chief Minister I Mansor Othman, stating that the matter had passed.

He said DAP-PKR negotiations on seat allocation in Penang were not a “big issue”, but declined to speak further on this.

Mansor had allegedly uttered the word tokong in reference to Lim during an informal PKR meeting which, among others, discussed the seat allocation in Penang for the next general election.

On another matter, Lim said it was yet to be seen whether MCA’s relentless attack on DAP and PAS over hudud would have any impact on the electorate.

“Let’s wait and see when the general election comes,” he said.

Among the top leadership of PAS and DAP, Lim added, it was still business as usual despite the hudud controversy.- malaysiakini

cheers.