INTERVIEW | Until today, embattled PKR Kebun Bunga assemblyperson Cheah Kah Peng does not know what had hit him, although he is still reeling from the after-effects of the "thunderbolt".

Overnight, since Malaysiakini reported the matter on Nov 22, Cheah has constantly been in the news, after Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng barred him from managing flood aid registration for his constituency after the Nov 4 and 5 disastrous floods in the state that killed seven people.

Politicians thrive on publicity, but this is not the kind of exposure one desires.

Being a colourful character, bold and outspoken, most people expected Cheah to fight back when he was publicly disgraced by Lim.

But he has remained calm, going about his usual duties, updating his Facebook page regularly with snippets of his work and photos of his activities.

Lim, who is also Air Putih assemblyperson, has gone to town with Cheah's purported "weaknesses" in his services to his constituency.

Cheah said no matter how bitter the situation is, he would like to meet the chief minister to iron out the discord between them.

"I have no malice against anyone. It's all for the best of the alliance our parties built together since 1999," said the former PKR supreme council member.

Last weekend, Lim (photo) visited Hong Seng Estate and attended to some people who voiced their grievances on Cheah's "lacklustre attitude" in following up on the relief efforts for victims of the recent floods.

"State assembly members must be responsible towards the rakyat's plight and needs.

"If they do not perform up to expectation, they have to face the consequences," Lim had said in a statement.

Asked for his views on this, Cheah replied: "I am not a quarrelsome person, nor a troublemaker. I simply want to do my job.

"All the state representatives are only human, none of us are perfect but we do the best we can, especially when hit by natural disasters."

Cheah prefers to look on the bright side and continues to aid victims register for the flood aid, defying an email from state secretary Farizan Darus on Nov 20, informing him of his exemption from the exercise.

Decided to face his voters

Although his opponents are not convinced, Lim described the exemption as an "internal procedural change", saying he and Pulau Tikus assemblyperson Yap Soo Huey will take over the registration of Kebun Bunga victims. 

Cheah initially questioned the move, but he decided to face his voters, visiting areas where he expected criticisms and ridicule but found his constituents "kind and welcoming".

"I truly appreciate their kindness. After all, I've been with them since 2013, through thick and thin".

Cheah was part of the infamous "PKR 5" who were condemned by Lim as "saboteurs" for abstaining from voting against an Umno motion in November 2015 to halt all land reclamation projects in Penang.

Undeterred by the labelling, he has continued to keep the state administration on its toes.

Recently, he questioned a law to corporatise the 130-year-old Penang Botanic Gardens, which lie in the heart of his constituency.

Now Cheah (photo) prefers to focus on the big picture to strengthen the state Harapan government, as PKR has been part of it since 2008, and he himself, their loyal member since 1999 when PKR was first formed, out of Anwar Ibrahim's Reformasi struggle.

"There is so much that Penang has been facing in the last couple of months, the floods on Sept 11, the Tanjung Bungah landslide which killed 11, that we need to find ways, and implement better policies to address them," he said.

"We must not lose sight of these issues and address them quickly and effectively, or else there is a lot to answer when the 14th general election hits us," he cautioned.

Keen political observers have wondered if this fiasco is DAP's style of deflecting criticisms from its mishandling of the floods and the landslide.

Probably, a strategy the party picked up from its nemesis, BN, after years of fighting to topple it.

Some bloggers have pointed out that this could be the DAP's ploy to divert attention from the many incidents where its assemblypersons were "slammed or shouted at" for not helping their constituents during the floods, as evident in video clips making their rounds on social media.

A senior DAP member, who declined to be named, concurred.

"My party has been hit pretty bad by these disasters, that it is out of control now. So, the only way is to create a diversion, and that is how Cheah became the scapegoat " he said.

"Cheah must remain strong. He did not do anything wrong. He should just continue what he has been doing all along, being with his people.

"Fighting back will only create more diversions, which obviously are what my party needs now," the senior DAP member said.