NST Online: Topnews

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 09:54 AM PDT

2011/09/30
Jassmine Shadiqe
news@nst.com.my

JOHOR BARU: Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar yesterday said he was offended by the disparaging remarks about the state allegedly made by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng recently but added that as a ruler, he would stay above politics.

The sultan said politics should be left to politicians and the people should not be dragging rulers into politics.

"Yes, I was offended when I got to know about that statement, but I don't want to react, because as a ruler, I shouldn't be dragged into politics.

"Don't speak for me. I am capable of doing it... I have the interests of my rakyat and also foreigners living in Johor at heart."

Sultan Ibrahim also said Johor police under its chief, Datuk Mokhtar Shariff, had been entrusted with the security of the state and that he was doing his job.

He said this during an exclusive interview with the New Straits Times at his office here.

Lim had come under fire from numerous parties, who demanded that he apologise to the Sultan of Johor for his alleged statements made during a luncheon function in Singapore last month.

TV3, during its Buletin Utama prime time news on Monday night, had played an audio recording of a voice that was said to be Lim's, making disparaging statements about the public security situation in Johor.

Lim was alleged to have said: "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."

Lim's alleged statement was reportedly made while he was attending a luncheon organised by the Foreign Correspondents Association of Singapore on Aug 12.

Meanwhile, during the interview, Sultan Ibrahim also shared his plans for Johor.

Among them is to open Istana Bukit Serene once a year for the public to enjoy the scenic view from the palace, once the landscaping in the Danga Bay area was ready.

He said the date and the mechanism had yet to be determined, but the aim was to allow people to enjoy the state's beauty and glory from the vantage point of the palace.

Sultan Ibrahim also said the stalls in Jalan Pantai Lido would be demolished and the traders moved.

"Pantai Lido will be a place where the rakyat can stroll and enjoy nature at its best without any inconveniences."

Another "mess" that would be removed are the illegal stalls in the Stulang area here.

Sultan Ibrahim said these would be demolished and the traders moved to a better place where cars would no longer be parked haphazardly and cause traffic jams.

In Pontian, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said Lim's statement was disrespectful to his fellow leaders from other states.

He described Lim's statement as irresponsible and unbecoming of a state leader.

"It is irresponsible and disrespectful when someone bad mouths the other states.

"This is not the Barisan Nasional way. I never said 'Don't go to Penang' when I was the Johor menteri besar."

On calls by Umno Youth urging Lim to apologise, Muhyiddin said it was the right thing to do.

"If Lim feels he has done wrong, then there is no harm in him apologising."

Muhyiddin said Lim's statement, which compared the crime rates between Johor and Penang, was inaccurate as statistics had shown that the crime rate in all states had dropped by 15 per cent.

I don't remember, says Guan Eng

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 09:51 AM PDT

Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar is upset over the remarks allegedly made by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng

GEORGE TOWN: Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said yesterday he did not remember what he had said during a luncheon talk in Singapore.

He said whatever remark that might have been uttered by him about Johor was made during a "private conversation" because there was nothing about the state in the speech text he prepared for the function.

Lim, who was alleged to have maligned Johor while attending a luncheon organised by the Foreign Correspondents Association of Singapore on Aug 12, also questioned whether the remark was indeed made as he had never mentioned it in his speech.

"Number one is this. Was this statement made? That is the first... For that, I have to listen to the tape.

"But what I want to say is this: that speech was made in private. It was not made in public and now there is suddenly a tape," he said at his office in Komtar.

Lim said the context in which his remark was made must be determined and the best reference body to do it was the court.

"I don't remember. I make so many speeches every day... sometimes four to five times a day."

He also said he wanted to deal with the matter one by one, and would start with national news agency Bernama, which first reported that the alleged remark was made when the chief minister was interviewed in Australia by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio station.

"If Bernama refuses to cooperate, I will ask my lawyers to look into it."

Earlier, before answering questions on the alleged remark, Lim asked TV3 broadcast journalist Selwam Arjunan to leave the press conference as he did not want to answer questions on the issue in the presence of the TV station.

The New Straits Times, which had been barred from covering Lim, obtained a video of the press conference from ntv7.

Utusan Malaysia had also been barred from covering Lim.

Bernama, TV3 and Berita Harian are often left out of the official invite lists from the chief minister's office.

Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Khamis, 29 September 2011

NST Online: Topnews

NST Online: Topnews

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