Penang-born Koh no match for Johor-born CM LGE!

Koh dismisses reports claiming he will run against Guan Eng

By Lisa J. Ariffin

October 30, 2011

Koh denied today that he had been interviewed by any blogger with regard to candidacy for the 13th general elections. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon dismissed today reports saying he will run against Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng in the coming national polls. Several blogs have alleged the Gerakan president had said he was ready to take on the Johor-born DAP leader in the 13th general elections, which are expected in the next six months, to revive his flagging political career.
Koh was Penang chief minister for 13 years before being ousted in the landmark 2008 election that effectively wiped out the powerful Barisan Nasional (BN) component party from the state.
“I will not give any comment based on one writing on a blog. The bloggers can say anything they want ... there are other blogs writing all sorts of things about me,” the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of unity and performance management told reporters today.
He was responding to a blog post on the HaprakNews website titled “Koh Tsu Koon sedia tentang Lim Guan Eng PRU13 ini’ (Koh Tsu Koon ready to face Lim Guan Eng in GE13)”.
Dated October 25, the anonymous blogger had quoted Koh as saying, in Bahasa Malaysia: “I personally wish to contest against Lim Guang Eng [sic] no matter where he stands in Penang. I am Penang-born and not an outsider who knows nothing about the state’s circumstances.”
The article has been hyperlinked to other websites, including a known pro-Umno blogger who goes by the name PapaGomo.
Koh denied he had been interviewed by any such blogger.
“I will not entertain blogs because it is a waste of my time,” he said, and chided the unknown writer for attributing the report to him for publicity.
Koh’s leadership has come under attack in recent days from within his party and other members of the ruling BN coalition who question if he is “winnable candidate” material.
The social scientist has previously disclosed that he is willing to make a “sacrifice” for the party in the coming elections but continued today to hold off from elaborating further.