YOURSAY | ‘What ‘separation of powers’ if Khazanah was moved back to PM’s Dept?’

Guan Eng: Claims I am a puppet finance minister a false narrative

Vijay47: Sorry, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, I read your statement several times, slowly, lips visibly moving, but I still could not make heads or tails you were saying.

Let me try again, analysing point-by-point what you stated. You first, presciently and pre-emptively mentioned that your ‘puppet’ role would be used in the Tanjung Piai by-election, suggesting that such allegations would be false, though you did not use the inspector-general of police’s favourite phrase, “baseless and irresponsible”, which I presume is reserved for LTTE-related issues.

You then expanded on this by explaining that to “prevent abuse of power and ensure checks and balances,'' the Finance Ministry, including national sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd, was taken out of the prime minister’s wing.

After this, the plot really thickens, haze sets in, and I lost you. Inexplicably, you next added that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad wanted to be in charge of Khazanah again, just for old times’ sake, and you, the puppet who menurut perintah (follows orders), dutifully agreed.

What happened to the “check and balance” thingy? Perhaps this will soon be revealed by (MCA’s Tanjung Piai candidate) Wong Jeck Seng. Stay tuned, folks.

Kaffir Latte: Lim, your explanation makes no sense and only idiots would swallow it.

You said the Finance Ministry was taken out from the Prime Minister’s Department to ensure "separation of powers". But then Khazanah was moved from the Finance Ministry back to Prime Minister’s Department because "Mahathir wanted it".

So, what happened to "separation of powers"?

And then you said Khazanah was under Mahathir’s purview even during the BN days. Actually, Khazanah was under the Finance Ministry during BN’s days. It’s just that back then, the finance minister happened to be the prime minister as well.

Anyway, are you BN? How many times are you lot going to use the same old excuse of "BN did it too"? Weren’t you one of the critics of BN's policies back when you were in opposition? Why are you continuing the same policies then?

You also said the Health Tourism Council was moved to the Finance Ministry. Come on. The Health Tourism Council is incomparable to the wealth, power, and influence of Khazanah. Who are you trying to bluff?

Pokok Kelapa: Lim, you said: "Khazanah was founded by Mahathir and the prime minister had wanted to be in charge of it."

In fact, many things and policies were founded by Mahathir. So does that mean that everything goes under his ministry and purview?

In that case, we might as well put the whole Finance Ministry under the Prime Minister’s Department.

Constitutional Supremacy: Lim had explained well. He has worked very hard and long hours to push up the economy, has reduced government wasteful expenditure by introducing an open tender system and is putting national finances into order.

He has at all times acted based on national interest. But the deep state from within and outside is trying to undermine him and Pakatan Harapan.

Sorry to all you cybertroopers. Judging from the remarks, most are with BN or Gerakan. If you want Najib back, by all means, vote them in and face the consequences. The s**t you threw out you want to collect it back is your right.

What will you say if Bersatu won? Similarly, all of you were condemning DAP during the Sandakan by-election but DAP still won comfortably.

This goes to show most of the people making such comments are here with an agenda to attack Harapan. Such attacks do not turn into votes. It is what the voters in Tanjung Piai think that matters..

Prudent: It doesn't matter in a by-election. Vote the old rascals in to kick the new rascals in their behind and keep them at bay.

Vote for MCA. Don't be an idealist and split the anti-Bersatu-Mahathir vote by voting for Gerakan.

The Analyser: Why bother to attack Lim? He is nothing more than another cog in Mahathir’s gearbox, albeit the weakest and most insecure.

The whole of the Harapan cabinet and most of the parliamentarians are total losers. They have failed to represent the people and they have betrayed their election mandate. Basically, they have no principles, nor any reformism.

@Prudent, MCA and Gerakan are both useless. They will be ineffective in Parliament and neither will they become the nucleus for the mythical third force that Malaysians talk about but do nothing to bring about.

Your advocacy of MCA which is directly linked to Umno-PAS is about the most stupid comment which you have ever made.

As well as betraying your manipulators, you risk splitting the anti-Umno-PAS and anti-Harapan votes, thus risking a win by one the two parties you should be dead set against.

Anonymous_1375240443: Give Gerakan deputy secretary-general Wendy Subramaniam a chance. A vote for Wendy is a vote for all Malaysian women and for their empowerment.

Give Gerakan a chance to be the third force to check and balance Harapan and BN.

A caveat - Gerakan, please stay firm and be a standalone party for the next 100 years. Do not be part of any coalition government for the purpose of securing ministerial positions for party leaders.

My Understanding: Lim, are you Malaysia’s finance minister or Mahathir's finance minister?

Secondly, have you been counting the cost of maintaining Mahathir as PM? The damage he has done to our country? The opportunity cost lost due to his bad international or diplomatic relationship?

Voters in the by-election in Johor should ask these questions.

Pelanduk: Why did Mahathir transfer Khazanah to the Prime Minister’s Department?

Lim, you always boast about how efficient you are and Khazanah should be in good hands in the Finance Ministry. Mahathir must be out of his mind to take it away from you. But people think otherwise.

Most of the people here are supporters of DAP before, including me. And sadly, the majority see you as a puppet just doing the bidding of Mahathir. Sorry, but this is the perception. 

And Harapan is going to be punished in the Tanjung Piai by-election.

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.