Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has acidly applauded the “courage” of two Gerakan leaders in taking him on, when they have been unable to do this with Umno, their ‘big brother’ in the BN.

azlan Referring to Gerakan national head Koh Tsu Koon (left) and state head Dr Teng Hock Nan, he said he has never heard them rebuke Umno for many actions that have hurt the feelings of the rakyat.

Even when Umno Youth members in Penang shredded Koh’s photo, he did not “scold” Umno, Lim noted.

“Koh spoke very bravely (yesterday). If only he had spoken like that against Umno, he would not have lost Penang (to Pakatan Rakyat in 2008),” he said of his predecessor who had administered the state for 18 years.

“Congrats to Umno, if Gerakan thinks I am an easy target and they can win back power in Penang.”

Koh’s “real tragedy”, he said, lies in the fact that he has trained other leaders after him to be afraid of Umno.

Lim also said that these leaders “only show courage to the DAP and Pakatan, but never to Umno”.

“They all have the same mode as Koh. They are brave in hammering DAP but are frightened of Umno.”

‘Not a dictator’

Lim refuted Teng’s accusation that he is “dictatorial, arrogant and power crazy” in his style of leadership.

NONE “I want to ask: Is it because I am firm against corruption that I am labelled dictatorial? If the answer is ‘yes’, then I have nothing further to say.”

He was responding to questions at a press conference today, after signing a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between Georgetown and the city of Zhongsan in China.

At the Penang Gerakan 55th delegates conference yesterday, Koh and Teng had made several remarks to belittle Lim’s leadership, calling him a “twister king and mis-leader”.

Koh, now a federal minister, had warned that he is collating information to prove that Lim has misled the people over land deals and hillslope development in the state.