Tensions too intense to ignore

THE water crisis in Penang is over, and Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow hopes to put the unfortunate episode behind him by unveiling a new urban park on the island.

Known as Gurney Bay, the park is carved out of land reclaimed from the sea along Gurney Drive, and it glitters like a beautiful jewel at night, especially from a drone shot.

It has been variously described as an iconic waterfront, seafront park and new meeting point, but in the light of day, it is a rather bleak grass-and-concrete expanse marked by a few structures, retail facilities and newly planted saplings.

There could have been more imaginative attempts at landscaping.

If Singapore can create lush landscapes on top of highrises, surely the Penang government, which often cites Singapore as a role model, can do the same?

The park has captured the attention of Penangites. But, it was the comments of former chief minister Lim Guan Eng that attracted the media's interest.

Lim took to Facebook to highlight the shoddy workmanship - cracks in the concrete work and damaged material in the play equipment.

His criticism, widely reported in the media, was quite valid given that this phase of the park cost RM58mil.

But many Penangites found it unbecoming. They saw it as an attempt to put down Chow when he could have picked up the phone to call the Chief Minister. He was perceived as having ill motives, and some labelled him a "negative personality" and said he was "power-crazy" and "attention-seeking. "

Others joked that the real Opposition in Penang, which only gets excited over religious issues, is so ineffective that it has outsourced its role to Lim.

If DAP was still the Opposition, it would have cooked up some arithmetic to show that the park looked more like a RM20mil project than a RM58mil scheme.

A former government official said Lim has the right to be disappointed because Gurney Bay was his brainchild from his days as chief minister.

"He planted the seed, and someone else is reaping the fruits," said the former official.

The defects can be easily rectified, but the rift between the current and former Chief Ministers seems irreparable.

DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke recently denied to China Press that there were problems between the two men and attributed it to different management styles.

"Anthony is using Chow to balance the influence of the Lim family. Chow will survive with Anthony's backing, but he will limp along," said Jeff Ooi, a Sin Chew Daily columnist known for his razor-sharp take on Penang politics.

Chow, said Ooi, has not shown the sort of leadership people expect for a powerhouse like Penang, and DAP could be courting trouble if the party does not identify a worthy successor.

Moreover, the DAP-led government is in its fourth term, and comparisons are being made with the government they toppled.

For instance, DAP used to oppose mega projects as a waste of people's money but has been associated with more than its share of such projects, from the non-existent undersea tunnel to the south Island reclamation scheme.

A Chinese newspaper recently ran an article on introducing cobblestones for roads around the Komtar area. DAP had criticised the previous Gerakan-led government for doing the same thing, calling the cobbled streets "tiow tiow lor" or "jumping streets" in Hokkien because they were too hard and bumpy on cars.

A local, when asked about how matters have come full circle, said with a laugh: "I also don't know what to say."

The split between Chow and Lim has become too glaring to ignore. They had some tense exchanges at the height of the water crisis, and their chilly body language is all too obvious at events where both are invited as guests.

It is reminiscent of the Dr Mahathir-Pak Lah falling-out, when the successor failed to live up to the predecessor's expectations.

"People are critical of Chow, but they don't want Guan Eng back," said a Penang journalist.

Fortunately for Chow, Lim is no longer the adored figure that he was when he breezed in from Melaka in 2008. Chow is seen as kinder and more sincere and draws sympathy, especially those who find Lim too brash, arrogant, and combative.

"Putrajaya has its hands full with big issues and cannot afford another front opening up. They would prefer to maintain the status quo in Penang," said the former government official.

Pakatan's control of Penang will depend less on Chow's performance than on who they pick to take over.

The person needs to have experience and the kind of personality. who can sit at the table with investors and businessmen and yet be relatable to the ordinary folk.

And given that the Penang Chief Minister is the last Chinese bastion, the person has to be able to speak Mandarin.

Otherwise there will be boo-boos like what happened to a Chinese minister who, in anticipation of the lunar new year, wrote on Facebook: "Preparing for tong tong chiang," unaware that it means "funeral" in Chinese.

The minister was probably thinking of a Chinese New Year jingle that starts with "tong, tong, tong, chiang", which depicts the sound of drums and cymbals.

Pakatan, said Ooi, also needs a stronger PKR in Penang. The party's Malay presence has been drowned by the green wave.

"Seberang Perai has turned green because there is no strong Malay personality from the Pakatan side to take on Perikatan Nasional," said Ooi.

Meanwhile, Chow's tenure is quite assured, but his predecessor will be around to keep him on his toes.