PENANG MCA Youth notes that Datuk Baldev Singh Gurchan Singh – the father-in-law of Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Jagdeep Singh Deo – has declined his appointment as the Penang Appeals Board chairman after concerns were raised over the appointment amid allegations of nepotism.
His position needs to be acknowledged as it is in total contrast to that of the spouse of Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh whose husband Ramchandran Muniandy’s company was awarded the Selangor mobility demand-responsive Transition (DRT) project without going through DAP’s much touted pre-General Election (GE) open tender call.
DAP needs to explain to all Malaysians, in particular voters who had selected DAP or any member of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition on their ballot slips in GE12 (2008), GE13 (2013), GE14 (2018) and GE15 (2022).
Is Malaysia so bereft of talents, personalities of leadership qualities that DAP has to source from among family members of its top brass to be appointed into government positions or be awarded multi-million state government projects?
The Penang Appeals Board is an official body established under the state’s Freedom of Information Enactment 2010.
Respecting the decision of Datuk Baldev, MCA Youth nevertheless still urges Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow to explain grounds for the initial appointment of the father-in-law of his deputy Jagdeep as chairman of the said board under the state’s Freedom of Information Enactment.
At the national level, DAP also needs to explain if the award of state projects via direct negotiation adheres to DAP’s much emphasised CAT motto of Competency, Accountability and Transparency.
Since capturing office at both state and federal levels, has DAP abandoned every principle which they portrayed to voters that they were championing for?
If yes, DAP needs to make a public confession so that voters will grow accustomed to the party’s hypocrisy of saying one thing and doing another, thus preventing voters from being let down or taken by rude surprises.
PH tends to pride itself as a reformist battling the evils of corruption, nepotism and cronyism. Nevertheless, the initial appointment of Datuk Baldev and Asian Mobility Technologies Sdn Bhd involves public interest.
If PH-led state governments continue to appoint family members to government positions or for state government’s multi-million-ringgit projects without restraint, will future appointments or contracts at both the federal and state government levels be monopolised by close relatives of high-ranking officials? Is this the Reformasi that PH promised?
The Reformasi which citizens aspire for is the establishment of a fair, just and transparent governance as opposed to one dominated by nepotism and cronyism where public power and interests are monopolised by the families of top party echelons. – June 2, 2024
Tan Yang Pang is Penang MCA Youth deputy chief and National MCA Youth vice- chairman.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
