Letter to NST

I have sent in a letter to Mr K.P. Waran, the Executive Editor (News) of the New Straits Times today requesting for a statement of clarification to be published in order to clear the doubt over a news report entitled "DAP: Penang doing better" that published in NST on 5th of January, 2008.

My letter to NST as below:

To: Mr KP Waran
Executive Editor (News), The New Straits Times

Statement of Clarification
--------------------------
Referring to a news report entitled “DAP: Penang doing better” and published in the New Straits Times on 5th of January, 2008 which twisted the most important facts on my press conference that I called a day before, I do hope you will allow me to make a short clarification as below:

No thumbs up, please!

I refer to a news report published in the New Straits Times on 5th of January, 2008.

The report is about the report card on Penang state government’s performance and good governance in the year of 2007 that I released in a press conference called on 4th of January, 2008 in DAP Penang Headquarters.

For me, NST had used selective reporting on the details of the report card and my press conference on that day. Thus, the report jumped into conclusion that DAP Penang has given thumbs up for Penang government’s performance and Penang was doing better in last year.

Based on the report card, I made the evaluation and assessment on Penang state government according to its performance in 10 categories and marks were given to each category. Ten marks are allocated for every category and make up of total 100 marks for the whole report card.

As I mentioned in the press conference, I will not give 10 marks as well as 0 mark for any of these category as only the God deserves the full mark and no government will perform badly until nothing was delivered in any particular aspect.

Yes, there was a slight improvement over the previous year. If compared to the marks given for the year of 2006, Penang state government showed improvement in terms of cultural development (2006: 7; 2007: 8), religious freedom (2006: 5; 2007: 9), racial relations (2006: 4; 2007: 8) and technology and environment (2006: 5; 2007: 6).

However, the marks given to leadership and capability (2006: 2; 2007: 2) and education (2006: 2; 2007: 2) remain the same. For the performance in terms of economic management (2006: 2; 2007: 1), local government (2006: 3; 2007: 2), infrastructural development (2006: 5; 2007: 1) and social security (2006: 3; 2007: 1), the state government has showed its weaknesses.

I have put 40 marks as passing mark for the report card. For the year of 2006, Penang state government managed to get 38 marks, short of 2 marks required to pass. For last year, the state government has just reached the passing mark which is 40 marks.

If there is no mark mentioned in NST report as published, it will definitely give a wrong impression and perception to the public in general that DAP is satisfied with the performance of Penang government in last year.

Although Penang state government has showed slight improvement in its performance and good governance, it is not reaching to a level of satisfactory as there is still a large room for further improvement.

This is why I need to make further clarification on this report.


(Note: For further information, please refer to the attached report card that I prepared in Malay language)


Attachment:

1. Report card entitled “Kad Laporan bagi Penilaian ke atas Prestasi dan Urus Tadbir Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang bagi Tahun 2007”.
2. News report entitled “DAP: Penang doing better” in the New Straits Times dated 5th of January, 2008.



Yours sincerely,



(NG WEI AIK)

Political Secretary to
DAP Secretary-General

H/P No.: 019-2459305
Email: nweiaik@gmail.com