My worthy opponent in Jelutong... ( 2 )
Finally, Koh Tsu Koon, the worthy opponent that I couldn't face-off with in Jelutong, has started to attack me as JEFF 4 MALAYSIA campaign enters the third day.
I held a press conference this morning to rebut him and to blow his covers.
'Give us 10 years and Penang shall rival Singapore'... Tsu Koon claimed in Guang Ming Daily June 23, 1999, five months before the 'Reformasi' General Election
Incidentally, PKR Penang held another press conference at the same time at a different place, giving more expose to the Chief Minister who has helmed Penang for 18 years, running it to the ground.
Here's an entry on the issue by NST-Business Times:
ELECTION 2008: Ooi stands by his claim despite Koh's rebut
By : Marina EmmanuelGEORGE TOWN:
Controversial blogger Jeff Ooi, who was described by Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon on Tuesday as "irresponsible" and "ignorant" for saying that Penang has lost its dynamism and competitiveness, is standing by his claim.
The DAP candidate for the Jelutong parliamentary seat today said he is not going to respond to Koh by name-calling but would continue to engage Koh with facts and figures to back his statements, especially when it concerned the electrical and electronics industry in Penang.
"Penang needs to get into indigenous manufacturing and not sweatshop assembly test and manufacturing operations. The State's economic model should be one which is anchored by knowledge workers but if factories keep relocating and moving out of Penang into Kedah and China, we will end up with abandoned factories," he told a press conference at the DAP headquarters at Jalan Talipon.
Ooi said his claims that technology giant Intel Corporation was reducing its workforce in Penang and redeploying them to other locations were based on information from industrialists.
Ooi also quoted a Jan 14 Business Times report stating that once the new Intel facility in Kulim is up and running, Intel likely to deploy some of its Penang employees to Kedah and may also relocate its chipset manufacturing activities from the island to the Kulim High Tech Park where the company's facilities are located.
"When I said that Penang ranked fifth in 2007 in terms of approved manufacturing projects by state," Ooi noted, "I was quoting statistics obtained from the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority's website and did not make up these figures. I am providing statistics provided by the same Government he has served for the past 18 years."
Ooi reminded Koh of a vernacular news report on 23 June 1999 where the Chief Minister has appealed to Penangites to give the Barisan Nasional a 10 year mandate so Penang can rival Singapore.
"He has one more year left to deliver but going by the reported S48,900 gross domestic product per capita figures, I can tell you that this figure is nowhere close to what the people of Jelutong are earning now," he said.
While waiting for the vernacular Press to come up with the story, Malaysiakini Chinese edition was first to have it uploaded on the web. Print, and spread it around, folks.
I hope someone could could help translate it into English as I don't have the time.
跨口赶上狮城，泉安促子根跳海
公正党爆耗10亿公款换3亿外资
王德齐 | 2月28日 下午1点26分
槟州经济的表现和外资的撤离，已经一跃成为选战焦点。在原任槟州首长许子根昨日公布“2008年槟州进展报告”，宣称槟州发展亮丽，并抨击在野党宣称槟州经济失去活力与竞争力，是道听途说的不负责任言论之后；行动党和公正党今日不约而同做出反击，更爆出以公款挽留外资的内幕。行动党日落洞国席候选人黄泉安回敬许子根本身，曾在9年前跨下海口，扬言槟州要在10年之内赶上新加坡，才是欺骗选民的不负责任举动，并促他为此从槟威大桥上“跳海”。
要求颁发政府合约挽留外企
公正党槟州主席再林（Zahrain Mohamed Hashim，左图）更爆出惊人内幕，揭露许子根要求联邦政府颁发10亿令吉的合约给某家跨国企业，以换取这家企业继续留在槟州操作，以掩饰槟州外来投资每况愈下的局面。
再林揭露，该党曾经看过一封由许子根致给首相阿都拉的官方密函，要求首相一定要颁发10亿令吉的政府合约给某家跨国企业，挽留该家企业继续在槟州投资3亿5千万令吉，不然有关的外企就准备撤离槟岛。
他是在今日率领人民公正党峇央峇鲁1国3州候选人，包括沈志勤（班台惹雅州议席候选人）、拉文达兰（S Raveentharan，峇都蛮州议席候选人）和阿都马力（Abdul Malik Abdul Kassim，峇都茅州议席候选人）联合召开记者会时，如是表示。
“许子根成外国公司说客？”
沈志勤告诉《当今大马》，“曾几何时，许子根变成外国公司的说客？”。然而他却承认，该党只“看过”有关的密函，手上并没拥有这封密函。
无论如何，沈志勤要求许子根解释此事是否属实，并质问州政府几时开始向外资威胁低头，不惜使用公款来留住外资。
“这家跨国企业会在大马投资，是因为大马本身的竞争力，还是因为我们用纳税者的血汗钱留住他们？这也意味着只有3.5亿令吉留在大马，其他6.5亿令吉却转去了美国。”
虽然公正党并没有点名有关外企的名字，但是著名的美国电子打厂摩多罗拉(motorola)前日在许子根的陪同下，宣布将会在槟州再投资3亿5千万令吉。
许子根在昨日公布“2008年槟州进展报告”时，亦极力引用摩多罗拉再投资的例子，来辩解槟州仍有吸引外资的条件。
黄泉安在今日召开记者会，激动地驳斥许子根指责他信口开河，发表外资撤离槟州的言论。他表示，许子根根本不曾回答说槟州是否面对工作机会减少，及人才外流的问题。
“这是更重要的问题。与其回答说，许子根已经拜访了工厂，黄泉安有拜访吗？，许子根拜访了工厂18年，最后却败给了（中国）大连。”
工业圈消息指英特尔不扩充
黄泉安（左图）辩解说，他接获工业圈内消息，指世界最大半导体制造商英特尔(Intel)不准备在槟城和居林高科技园扩充，并通知从槟城调往中国大连的员工准备长期定居当地后，才会揭露外资准备撤离一事。
他也接获另一名圈内人士的电邮，指槟州的英特尔工厂只是低阶的生产线，远远不如大连工厂的“一条龙”生产，涵盖研究创新到生产。
此外，他也出示一份巫统喉舌《新海峡时报》的报道，指出英特尔准备削减本地员工，来力证其说法。
他指出，虽然日前宣布在投资3亿5千万令吉，但是这数目在今日只能算是小额投资，只能建立低阶级的生产线。他也质疑，为何许子根绝口不提另一家外资Inventec撤走的事件？
投资剧跌数据源自政府机构
黄泉安也强调，槟州工业投资排名从1999年的榜首，剧跌到目前全国第5位的数据非凭空捏造，是源自贸工部属下的大马工业发展机构（MIDA）所提供的数据，并反问许子根难道不相信政府本身的数据。
“他（许子根）说我是信口开河。这是错的，我是依据大马工业发展机构的官方网站……我是依据他所服务的（国阵）所提供的数据。”
他表示，槟州总工业投资额是48亿令吉，现在已落后于吉打州（140亿令吉）、雪兰莪州（112亿令吉）、柔佛州（92亿令吉）和登嘉楼州（62亿令吉），只比排名第6的马六甲州（38亿令吉）稍多。
“当他（许子根）说槟州已经吸引工厂投资进驻，到底是什么意思？他正在说骗话。”
黄泉安指出，有关数据并未区分本地和外国投资，而他更关注槟州经济的整体活络程度。
形容许子根说空话“再转骗”
此外，黄泉安也引述《光明日报》的报道，指许子根曾在1999年大选前夕的6月23日，扬言要让槟州在10年内赶上新加坡的谈话。他猛轰许子根随意开出空头支票来欺骗选民，明知槟州不可能会追上新加坡，却跨下海口虚构海市蜃楼假象。
“我们在哪一方面能够赶上新加坡？我们要如何赶上新加坡？许子根不曾说过。这是我们负责任的首席部长吗？或者他忽视我们实际上很难追上新加坡？”
他更引用网络上著名的美国中央情报局（CIA）世界实况资料手册里头的指标，显示新加坡目前的人均收入是4万8900美元（15万6000令吉）一事来质问许子根，在9年后他所竞选的日落洞选民的平均收入，是否已经达到这个指标？
“我已忍无可忍。许子根说了太多空话和谎话，这就是所谓的‘再转骗’。请你回答我的问题。”
“我想请许子根告诉我，槟州是不是好像他9年前这么说，在10年内赶上新加坡。请告诉我很简单的答案，是或不是？如果是，请把证据拿出来。如果不是，我请你从槟威大桥跳下去。”
根据槟州国阵昨日宣布的《槟州进展报告2008》，目前该州人民的平均收入是1万4千令吉。
送新著建议许子根读序文
黄泉安表示，他不想纠缠在骂战之中，因为还要继续展开竞选活动，但是许子根必须向全民交待槟州经济发展的真实情况，“作为首长，你不能在过去18年一直欺骗你的人民。”
“请不要以数据来混淆我的选民，他们不在乎数据，他们只是在乎口袋里的钱。”
他也表示，他将会赠送其新著《科技目击证人》（i-Witness）给许子根，希望后者能阅读序文。
黄泉安在序文中说，“Reinvent”这词在近几年已成为政治人物掩饰他们背后议程的字眼，“我不知道还有谁会如印象派注意者再创造这个词，模糊了它的原本意义。”
黄泉安也扬言，他在投票日前还有两场“大戏”要呈现给许子根。他信心满满地方指出，互联网犹如照妖镜，能够从中挖出许多漏洞和苍疤。
In fact, the opposition Democratic Action Party candidate and former business intelligence analyst is expected to win the Jelutong seat in Penang comfortably on March 8 and make Malaysian history as the first blogger to become an MP.
On Page A14 of Guang Ming Daily (Feb 27, evening edition), my opponent whipped all bloggers in a broad sweep by stating that "bloggers hide behind computers and live in a virtual world".
