Is it a surprise that Lim Guan Eng is charged with corruption? Not at all. I believe most of us who have been following political developments in our country know it is inevitable once bungalow-gate burst. How a politician of his stature and standing as chief minister of Penang can allow himself to be caught in such a compromising position is beyond my understanding. But that is a moot point now - it’s all water under the bridge.

I believe DAP’s strategists have already mapped out the worst-case scenario. It is hardly rocket science. That the attorney-general has taken it upon himself to lead the prosecution means Guan Eng’s cell in prison has already been readied for him.

By and large, neutral analysts as exemplified by Ambiga Sreenevasan have agreed with the position taken by the party’s central executive committee (CEC) that Guan Eng need not resign or take leave as CM of Penang. This affords him time to set into motion his political succession.

Yes, I believe it is imperative that Guan Eng set into motion the succession plan for the CM of Penang. We must not allow Penang to follow the route of Selangor where Azmin Ali is trying his level best to suck up to PAS even as PAS is consorting openly with Umno.

Your successor must improve on what you had started. Sad to say, somewhere along this second term in office, your administration have conveniently ignored the Competency, Accountability, and Transparency (CAT) slogan you folks shouted so loudly during the first term. That must be put right. Make sure your successor is beyond reproach; let there be no skeletons in his closet that the Umnoputras can use against him.

The controversies over the land reclamation, the Botak Hill and the tunnel link are testimonies to that. The transparency aspects are obviously missing in those cases until even civil society elements in Penang have voiced their concerns whether you folks are now following the Umnoputras model - the big brother knows best model, and shoving everything down the rakyat’s throat.

Please do not take the rakyat of Penang for granted. We have shown Gerakan and MCA the exit, lock, stock and barrel for their sins of omissions and commissions - if we want another Big Brother government, we might as well vote for the Umnoputras (with their promises and ability to provide since they control the federal purse) of more development projects.

Perhaps, being a Penangite I have tunnel vision , hence my concerns seem centred around Penang. It is also because I feel Penang can withstand the onslaught of the Umnoputras best.

Selangor is a goner and I wouldn’t be surprised if Azmin puts back his Umnoputra spots. Let’s not kid ourselves (I believe) if we think we have a chance to unseat the Umnoputras from Putrajaya. I think the sooner you folks in the DAP and Amanah come round to this thinking the better - forget PKR, with Azmin calling the shots , he will again put a spanner into opposition cohesiveness. There are good leaders in the PKR, bud sadly they have allowed Azmin to run riot.

So, Guan Eng your successor must be able to work with Amanah (and yes, PSM) to formulate a strategy to deny the Umnoputras a two-thirds majority in Parliament. I concede I am a pessimist but just look at the way you folks are routed in the Sarawak state elections, Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar - I think it is harbinger of things to come in GE14.

Koon Yew Yin, that noble philanthropist has advised you folks to lie low and not show too much of your cards to the Umnoputras. Sadly, I think the opposition is now like an open deck, I really can’t see you folks coming up with any strategy to rock the Umnoputras ship.

The Sarawak state elections, Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar have shown that by and large, Najib Abdul Razakcan crow at the top of his voice - what corruption? The rakyat has accepted there’s no corruption in the 1MDB scandals and he has very rich benefactor(/s... they have not decided yet) donating billions into his personal account to use as he pleases.