16 August 2012

Lim Guan Eng buat tak patut kat Guru Sekolah Agama Rakyat...

Seramai 260 orang Guru Sekolah Agama Rakyat (SAR) Daerah Seberang Perai Utara (SPU) dan Seberang Perai Tengah (SPT) menerima saguhati sempena Hari Raya Aidil Fitri dari pimpinan kerajaan negeri.Majlis penyerahan tersebut diadakan di perkarangan Masjid Jamek Kubang, Bukit Mertajam disempurnakan Timbalan Ketua Menteri 1. Pulau Pinang, Datuk Mansor Othman dan juga Yang Dipertua Majlis Agama Islam Pulau Pinang (MAIPP), Datuk Saleh Man.

Selain mereka turut menyumbangkan hamper, beras dan wang ringgit ialah Exco Agama dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna Negeri Pulau Pinang, Datuk Abdul Malek Kasim.

Selain guru SAR, majlis semalam turut meraikan golongan miskin dengan pemberian hamper dan beras serta wang ringgit.

Rata-rata guru yang ditemui merasai syukur kerana adanya bantuan tersebut dapat meringankan bebanan mereka.


Saleh Man berkata, kerajaan negeri sentiasa menghargai jasa guru-guru SAR dan berharap agar mereka meneruskan usaha mereka mendidik anak bangsa menjadi insan yang bertaqwa sekaligus menjadi pewaris kepimpinan yang cemerlang di mas depan.

"Sumbangan ini sebagai penghargaan daripada Kerajaan Negeri Pakatan Rakyat atas usaha mereka yang tidak jemu mendidik anak bangsa.-harakahdaily


 
 Pakatan will retain Penang but…

Pakatan Rakyat remains in pole position to regain Penang in the up-coming general election namely because Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng continues to be a popular figure here. 

Political pundits and observers here reckoned that despite the controversies surrounding Lim’s administration since 2008, including his personal issues, the voters here are inclined to give Pakatan another term and a strong benefit of doubt to Lim.

When interviewed, the observers said this prediction was based on the latest assessment of voter sentiment, chats with the intelligence apparatuses and the media.

But, the observers also said that nowadays strategic assessments were fluid due to the excessive level of politicking in Penang.

So, the voting pattern might switch rapidly later this year, especially in Penang, which was traditionally a “swing” state since 1969.

To be fair, both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan remain mired in issues over candidates, strategies, funding and timing in winning over the hearts and minds of some one million registered voters here.

Lim, the Batu Pahat-born scion of the Lim political family since his father was none other than opposition stalwart Lim Kit Siang, had been portrayed as dictatorial and arrogant by his Penang deractors.

Their common assessment was that Pakatan would win Penang, but there was a possibility that BN would win more than the present 11 seats it had. Pakatan had 29 seats while BN 11, of which the lion’s share of seats were held by DAP -19 and for BN, Umno- 11 respectively.

Unhealthy trend


It was an unhealthy trend as it showed that the Chinese votes were predominantly with DAP (Pakatan) while the Malays were with Umno (BN), said Penang Malay Congress president Rahmad Isahak.

Rahmad expected the trend to change in this upcoming election, but whatever BN threw at the voters, Pakatan could win here. The weak link here continued to be PAS and PKR which were unable to match the political might and populist strength of DAP and Lim.

“Those two parties are seen as subservient to DAP and even worse, unable to speak up on issues related to the Malays and Indians,” said Rahmad.

He said if DAP was not careful, the Pakatan alliance might stand to lose its two-thirds majority in the state legislative assembly. This was when Penang voters reverted to their traditional form of voting strategy where they would opt for check and balance.

“This means they will not give their entire vote to just one political bloc,” Rahmad said.

Right now, the sentiments were with DAP and Lim, former Penang MCA Youth head Eng Hiap Boon said. However, he said, the “tide seemed to be shifting here,” as voters were starting to see that Lim was not perfect and neither was his government.

There was also a disconnect between the DAP grassroots and the party’s top leadership, Eng said, and he described this as a setback for any politician in today’s age of transparency.

“Those without any grassroots support are often asking for trouble.

“Nowadays in the coffeeshops, people are saying that Pakatan is the same like BN. People are now more discerning over who they support,” he added.

He said if Lim’s persisted in living out his “honeymoon” period of 2008, he would definitely be courting mounting problems and the DAP-led administration might only last two-terms in Penang.

BN has problems as well


Veteran politician Lim Boo Chang said Pakatan remained the favourite to regain Penang, but there could be some inroads made by Gerakan, MCA and MIC here.


The mixed seats voter composition would definitely see keener battles compared to 2008, he said, adding that Gerakan had a chance to perhaps win two to three seats, MCA one to two and MIC, one.

If Umno maintained its 11 seats here, then BN would effectively have denied Pakatan the comfort zone of a two-thirds majority, Lim said. He said in all fairness, BN also had their common problems associated with contesting in an election.

Gerakan, although having the largest talent pool of leaders, was cornered between the factions of the state BN chairman Teng Chang Yeow, Penang Gerakan chairman Dr Teng Hock Nan and party vice-president Chia Kwang Chye.

Both Umno and MCA were struggling to fill up the second echelon of leaders.

Since 2008, no young leader had emerged from both parties, while MIC also needed to restore its image after decades of leadership under its former president S Samy Vellu saw it lose touch with the younger section of the community.

All of such factors, make the election in Penang another event worth observing and analysing, Lim said.- FMT



cheers.

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