Guan Eng and PKR’s Rafizi the ‘targets’ at assembly

THEY were not there in person, but the presence of Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli could still be felt during the Umno assembly.

Red Shirts leader Datuk Seri Jamal Yunos paraded a cut-out of Rafizi donning a purple remand attire while a Penang Umno Youth delegate took to the podium to tell Lim to stop shifting the blame for the frequent flash floods in the state to the Federal Government.

Jamal, who is Sungai Besar Umno division chief, carried the Rafizi cut-out into the hall where the Wanita wing was holding its meeting.

The cut-out depicts Rafizi holding a placard that reads:

“I am Rafizi Ramli @ Slanderer. I would like to apologise to Wanita Umno chief Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil for defaming her and now I have been sentenced to 18 months jail.”

He then presented the cut-out to Shahrizat, who was heard saying, “I’m speechless.”

Later at a press conference, Jamal said he acted on his own because he felt that it was his duty as an Umno division chief to remind Umno members about Rafizi’s slander.

“Umno members should know not be deceived by Rafizi because what was done by Rafizi caused Wanita Umno not to be in Cabinet,” he said.

Jamal said the consequences of Rafizi’s lies had affected not only Shahrizat and her family, but the whole of Wanita Umno and Umno.

On Nov 14, Rafizi who is also the Pandan MP, was sentenced to 18 months’ jail by the Sessions Court for unauthorised possession of the 1MDB audit report and exposing it to the media.

This is, however, not related to his case against Shahrizat over NFCorp that was run by Shahrizat’s husband and her three children.

At the Youth assembly, Penang delegate Nordin Wahab said Lim should admit the state government’s weaknesses before putting the blame on flash floods on the Federal Government.

“They will never admit their own weaknesses and all they know is to blame the Federal Government,” he said.

“The fact is that the flash flood problem in the state is caused by rampant hill-clearing and land reclamation to implement massive and high-end property projects,” said Nordin in his debate during the motion to support the Youth chief’s policy speech.

He also chided the state government for its decision to change its official car from Camry to Mercedes-Benz months after taking over Penang.

“Is this not wasteful? If it happens in a state ruled by Barisan Nasional, I am sure that various slander and allegations will be made by them,” he said.

He noted that poor Malay families were suffering due to the high surcharge on water tariff.

“To protect its name, the DAP-led state government said that the surcharge was meant to stop Penangites from wasting water, but Malay families which are poor, have been greatly affected.

“Why are they taking advantage of the Malays,” he said.