Penang PKR today rapped Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for acting in contrast to principles of good governance advocated by caliph Umar Aziz, whom the DAP leader claims to emulate.

Its chief Zahrain Hashim said caliph Umar's governance was based on principles of compassion, forgiving, caring, honesty, sincerity, rule of law, justice, fairness and equality.

However, he said Lim has abandoned all these principles of good governance in his political and administrative actions, especially when he sacked PKR's Johari Kassim as a councillor in Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP).

penang anti isa forum 150908 zahrain md hashim Zahrain (right) is disappointed that Lim did not show any compassion or forgiveness towards Johari even though the PKR man expressed regret over his outburst against the state decision to appoint civil servants to head local municipalities.

He explained that Johari objected to the civil servant appointments to express PKR's, and not his personal stand, to have politicians helming the councils.

Under a Pakatan Rakyat gentleman's agreement in January this year, the MPSP president post's was to be reserved for a PKR nominee while the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) was to be helmed by DAP.

DAP also appointed senior civil servant Tan Cheng Chui to head MPPP.

Partly blaming miscommunication for Johari's outburst, Zahrain said Johari indeed had wanted to meet Lim and make up for his mistake.

However, Lim refused to meet Johari.

"This is unbecoming of an admirer of caliph Umar who Lim so glorified in his speeches everywhere. He failed to be compassionate and forgiving," Zahrain told Malaysiakini today.

Dialogue between Lim and committee

Last night the state PKR decided at its meeting to hold a dialogue between Lim and party state committee members, state assemblypersons and parliamentarians soon to clear out many urgent matters.

PKR state deputy leader and Deputy Chief Minister 1 Mansor Othman has been tasked to arrange for the dialogue, meant to strengthen Pakatan Rakyat's cooperation and government in Penang.

Zahrain said the PKR leadership at state and national levels were upset over Lim's decision to sack Johari without consulting the party.

johari kassim 180609 "Since Johari (left) is a political appointee, Lim should leave it to PKR to make a decision. He should not have expelled Johari.

"Johari is not a civil servant neither has he committed insubordination. He only executed his duty as PKR whip in MPSP," he said.

Johari was sacked as councillor effective Friday, June 26, after he led a PKR boycott of the swearing in of civil servant Mokhtar Mohd Jait as MPSP head on June 4.

Other PKR councillors involved were Che Mat Hashim, Amir Ghazali, Mahamad Hashim, Rynu Shanmugam, Goh Choon Aik, Mohd Kamil Abu Bakar and Zaini Awang.

Farid Arshad was the only PKR councillor to defy the boycott order.

Spirit of solidarity abandoned

Johari, a PKR state liaison committee member, was sacked under the Section 10(4) of the Local Government Act 1976, under which he has no right of appeal.

Although the DAP-dominated state government claimed that the decision to sack Johari was a unanimous one, state PKR has insisted that the party representatives in exco - Mansor, Law Choo Kiang and Abdul Malik Kassim - had objected to the proposal to sack Johari.

However, they were muscled out by DAP which had a numerical advantage in the 11-man exco.

Meanwhile, PKR state youth chief Yusmadi Yusoff chided Lim for abandoning the spirit of solidarity, cooperation and collectiveness espoused by the Pakatan coalition when sacking Johari.

lim guan eng in action "Pakatan means muafakatan ," he said, adding that Lim (right) has acted against this spirit.

"The state government should appreciate and accept existing diversities and differences of opinions to enhance cooperation," said Yusmaidi, the Balik Pulau parliamentarian.

He said Lim and DAP should realise that Pakatan swept to power in Penang in last year's general election because of the people's strength and political awareness.

He said although certain personalities played a prominent role, overall it was the people's collective effort that put Pakatan in power.

"Therefore Lim needs to demonstrate the strength of collective governance and muafakatan . Johari sacking was uncalled for and against the spirit of caliph Umar's governance," he said.