There have not only been silence from UMNO/Barisan Nasional leaders to my proposal that the outgoing four-term Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman should be rewarded with a senior government post, there appears to be an officially-inspired rejection of the proposal when MUBARAK, the association of former Barisan Nasional MP and Assemblymen, came out with a statement declaring that those defeated in the recent general elections should not be appointed a Senator or made a Minister.
The President of MUBARAK Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Rahman can only be referring to Ghani as I had specifically suggested that Ghani, in view of his contributions and experience in Johor, should be appointed a Senator and made a Minister, and a Cabinet post suitable for him will be Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Economic Planning Unit, replacing Nor Mohamad Yakcop.
The implicit rejection of the proposal to make Ghani a Senator and his appointment as a Minister has confirmed suspicions all along that Ghani was a victim of a power struggle in UMNO, particularly in Johor, and Ghani was forced to contest in Gelang Patah to end his political career if he cannot, to use Tun Mahathir’s words, make Gelang Patah my “burial ground”.
The battle of Gelang Patah had never been a personal fight between Ghani and me, as I had publicly acknowledged his contributions to progress and development in Johor in his 18 years as Mentri Besar.
This is why I had suggested that Ghani, though he lost in Gelang Patah, could continue to serve the country by his appointment as a Senator and Minister, as the Battle of Gelang Patah should not be regarded as a zero-sum game where Ghani has to end his political career despite his defeat in Gelang Patah.
It would appear that we in the DAP and Pakatan Rakyat are prepared to recognise talents regardless of party affiliation which is not the case in Umno/BN.
I do not understand nor agree with the attitude that Ghani should be completely sidelined just because of his defeat in Gelang Patah.
I call on Johor UMNO, all its divisions and branches, as well as Johor UMNO leaders, to declare whether they support the proposal that Ghani be appointed a Senator so that he could be made a Minister, and be considered for the post of Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Economic Planning Unit.
Dare MCA Johor give any views on this subject of Ghani?
(Speech at the 13GE thanksgiving party at Taman Puteri Utama, Nusajaya, on Sunday, 12th May 2013 at 4 pm)