DAP may have lost its spunk’

DAP's silence on recent price hikes spurs Penang Umno liaison committee deputy chairman to call on the party to continue doing so and focus on boosting states under Pakatan governance.

GEORGE TOWN: DAP’s failure to challenge the recent hike in fossil fuel prices could be a reiteration that the party has lost its fiestiness as it also kept mum when the Penang state water authority (PBA) increased the water conservation surcharge by 100 percent last month.

Penang Umno liaison committee deputy chairman Musa Sheikh Fadzir said the socialist party should continue keeping quiet and focus on developing Penang or the two other states of Kelantan and Selangor under the Pakatan Rakyat alliance.

“People can now see and compare what sort of government Pakatan and Barisan Nasional (BN) offer. If one was to analyse the governance style, it is no different from Barisan’s in certain ways,” Musa said in an interview.

Musa alleged that in reality, BN seems to be more consultative whereas Pakatan comes across as dictatorial, owing to the much touted abrasive style of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

DAP has been ranting about the fuel hike via the Internet but on the other hand, they are the same party which had approved the water surcharge hike being fully aware that water is an essential in our daily lives, he added.

Musa was referring to PBA’s recent move of hiking water conservation surcharge in hope of inculcating a water conservation habit among Penangites since water is a resource that is fast depleting .

“However, DAP had failed to reveal to the public that PBA must contribute annual royalty to the state government coffers,” he said, adding that instead of increasing the surcharge, the state should reduce the royalty payout and focus on assisting the people to cope with the rising cost of living.

The reality on the streets here is that the authorities have failed to put the brakes on the rising living costs in the state, which is compounded by the inflated property prices here, traffic congestion and a slowdown in manufacturing.

“When people find accommodation expensive, there is a spiral effect as food, tourism, services, healthcare and retail will also see an increase,” he said.

He added that DAP must not get carried away by just opposing BN policies or its leaders and instead boost their focus on governing the Pakatan states for the elevate the standard of living of the people in those states.

Musa also confirmed that he will be seeking a spot in the Umno Supreme Council elections, and that he was the sole Penang candidate.

Agreeing that he could be an underdog as he was not holding any major government posts or an elective representative, Musa however believed that his 20 years of speaking for the Malays in the northern region would qualify him to be in the running.

“Umno needs brave leaders in this age when BN is facing challenge from all corners. I may not have a post but I can assure the delegates that I am brave.”

Hawkeye