Penang Umno chief Zainal Abidin Osman is not happy to see Umno becoming the scapegoat for each and every negative thing that happens to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

NONE In an interview with Malaysiakini , Zainal claimed the whipping of Umno for all things bad in Penang has become a daily affair for Lim ( right ).

“Umno is his whipping boy. We are blamed for everything, whether it is for the arson attack on the DAP state HQ, or rallies against him by Perkasa. It is as if we had done nothing good for Penang,” said the former deputy minister for rural development.

“As if in this 66 years of our formation, we had done nothing good for Penang. Then how can we win 11 seats in the state legislative assembly? If we had been wrong all the time, then why did the rakyat vote us in?” Zainal said.

“We should at least get a little recognition, at least for those of us in Umno who want to see a fairer and more just chief minister of Penang,” said Zainal, who is an adviser to the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development.

Zainal, the former Nibong Tebal MP, accused Lim of subscribing to “cheap political stunts” to gain support and sympathy from Penangites.

He added all Lim had to do on a daily basis was to “plant the seeds of hatred” for Umno, from morning to night, via his press conferences.

CM’s daily castigation

“In the morning, he condemns Umno, and at nights during dinner functions, he shows how bad Umno has been to create doubt in people’s mind that Umno is an untouchable product,” lamented the Umno supreme council member.

“Creating such hatred in the hearts of Penangites everyday is rather disappointing.”

Zainal, a former foreign ministry parliament secretary, noted that Umno was one of the largest organisations in Penang, with a membership of 150,000 members.

He said Lim’s daily castigation of these 150,000 members in Penang was not a “healthy development”.

NONE Zainal ( left ) added that he does not wish to teach Lim how to run the state government but wants him to know that Penangites have placed much hope and trust in the office of the chief minister, since he took over its leadership in 2008.

“The CM’s office should educate people on what is good; unity among the different communities and bring hope so that Penangites are happy to deal with a CM who is fair, who cares for people of all races.

“We want to see such a CM but we do not. What we see is a chief minister who is at times unfair to certain communities and constituencies.”

Zainal said life in Penang does not allow racism to rear its ugly head as there are different communities interacting with each other as part of their daily life.

He called on Lim to cultivate a non-prejudicial view of all communities, and hopes the state administration would harbour “good feelings” for Umno.

VIDEO | 7.07 mins