Ejection of Chinese CEO of Penang GLC not political worrr...

Here's what happened. A Chinese CEO of a GLC (Govt Linked Company) in Penang - which is a very rare species indeed - had 'resigned' and was replaced by a Malay chap. Of course, the opposition swung into action in protest.

The Opposition has accused the Penang state government of bowing to Umno pressure in forcing PBA Holdings Bhd (PBAHB) chief executive officer Datuk Liew Chook San to resign.

Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, upset with the allegation, said Liew’s departure had nothing to do with politics. He said Liew, in charge of the state’s water supply corporation, left the company as he wanted to spend time with his family and to pursue personal interests.

He said the PBAHB board of directors had appointed Jaseni Maidinsa as the PBAHB acting CEO and PBAPP acting general manager. Koh said his appointment was based on merit and the assessment of his capability to fulfil the group’s corporate goals and social obligations.

Read the rest of the story on NSTOnline.

Well, it's just too much of a coincidence for me to buy Koh's denials. Just a month or so ago, Koh himself was called to relinquish his Chief Minister's job to someone from UMNO. He was also roundly accused of sidelining Malays in the development of Penang.

Is Datuk Liew the unfortunate sacrificial goat that's being thrown into the mouth of the UMNO volcano... to keep it from erupting further? Will more Chinese leaders and businesses in Penang be turned in to goats? Is Koh suffering from mad cow disease?

The day the govt fires one of the Malay CEOs of a major GLC like Maybank or Tenaga and replaces him with a Chinaman, is the day I agree that politics is not involved.