your say 'Imagine the impact if you had praised Penang PDRM doing a great job in keeping the crime rate down. Giving credit where due is a hallmark of a great leader.'

TV3: Guan Eng's faux pas in S'pore, not Australia

Fair Play: Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, here is something to think about. A great leader listens more, does more and speaks less.

You have the potential to be a great leader, judging by your performance in such a relatively short time. Why 'cheapen' yourself by making remarks that add no value to your leadership quality, however justifiable the situation might have been.

In the eyes of everyone, imagine the impact you would have created if you praise Penang PDRM (Royal Malaysian Police) for doing such a great job in keeping the crime rate down and hence improving foreign investments in Penang.

Giving credit when credit is due is a hallmark of a great leader. And self-praise is no praise.

Anonymous_40a7: So, when BN badmouths Penang and Selangor on TV3, it was acceptable, but when Lim Guan Eng does that, it's deemed unacceptable? Talk about one-sided reporting.

Aku Melayu: There is a difference when you say something negative about your own country to foreigners abroad and saying the same to local audience.

Smart executives will know what to say and what not to. But braggarts shoot their mouth without using their heads.

Call me Jibby: How about the braggart Muhyiddin Yassin's claim that Pakatan Rakyat is 'torturing' Selangorians and Selangor? He should stop making baseless and irresponsible comments on other states because it would tarnish Malaysia's image as a whole.

Armageddon: Are we competing between the different states of Malaysia or between countries of the world? We should be comparing ourselves with developed countries and try to outdo them. We still have that ‘juara kampung' (village champ) mentality.

Concerned Citizen 1e05: Even although he's from different political parties, Guan Eng should not have spoken badly about other states. After all, we are all Malaysians.

People should look at the possibility that Penang's crime rate is down because of the Royal Malaysian Police. It is one of the police's key performance indicators to reduce crime. So kudos to the police.

Alan Goh: The truth hurts, whether you accept it or not. The crime rate in Malaysia is still high. Even as Malaysians, we no longer feel safe walking around Jalan Bukit Bintang, Jalan Imbi and the so-called tourist belt in Kuala Lumpur.

As a matter of point, my gold chain was recently snatched from my neck along Jalan Imbi in broad daylight as I was about to open my car door. If it can happen to a street-smart guy like me, then what more do you expect from foreign tourists?

As peace-loving, loyal Malaysians, it is not that we love to run down our country, but the fact remains that it is no longer safe walking around busy streets that are brightly lit, let alone our neighbourhood as compared to the little red dot, our southern neighbour Singapore.

The main reasons are obviously due to the many illegal foreigners in the country and the high cost of living that contributes to these petty crimes.

Disbeliever: Just because it's Guan Eng, it is considered ‘bad-mouthing' by TV3, which we know is linked to Umno. It is a fact that the crime rate in Johor is bad - go look at police statistics. Or better still, ask the Singaporean victims of kidnapping and extortion.

Even way back in the 1970s, it was bad as petty crimes, pick-pocketing and extortion were pretty common. In fact, I was a victim, too, back then.

So commenting on the crime rate and stating the obvious cannot be considered as bad-mouthing. On the contrary, it should spur the authorities to pull up their socks.

Louis: Firstly, Bernama has to apologise for misquoting Guan Eng in Australia. The issue at hand is the statement in Australia, and not Singapore. Even though LGE might have said the same statement to the effect in Singapore, Bernama's editor-in-chief Yong Soo Heong still owes Lim an apology.

Coming to his statement about Johor's safety, it is justified for him to compare Penang with the southern state. It is a known fact that Johor has a higher crime rate than Penang.

In comparing the two states, Lim is actually learning from the government. Didn't the government always compare our petrol prices to countries like Singapore and Thailand each time our petrol price goes up?

Guan Eng is not badmouthing Johor. He is only stating facts which every investor want to know. He did not invent those facts.

Chialat: Dr Mahathir Mohamad once said (March 7, 1991) Penang was the dirtiest state in Malaysia. Did he not badmouth Penang?

Boiling Mud: But isn't it true that the security situation in this country (including Johor, of course) is deteriorating by the day? Instead of being cry-babies huffing about Guan Eng stating the fact, why don't the relevant authorities in the government work to improve the situation?

Just look around, these days most housing estates have to fork out money to fence in themselves like war zones, while 15 percent of our population is comprised of migrant workers.

ONG: In the modern world, it makes no difference whether what you say is to a local or foreign audience. The whole world will soon come to know about it.

The exception may be the many ignorant people from rural areas who are deliberately kept ignorant by their masters. The rest of the outside world are not ignorant and stupid.

 

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