He also gave a eulogy after which he led PCM members to pay their respects to the late YB Karpal Singh. Datuk Huan is noble and respectful man indeed.
Free Malaysia Today, The Star and NST have already carried the news.
FMT: Worthy candidate’ Huan to contest in Bkt Gelugor
The Star: Bukit Gelugor by-election: PCM vice-president announces candidacy
NST: Parti Cinta Malaysia VP to contest in Bukit Gelugor by-election
Malaysiakini: Punish DAP over hudud, Bukit Gelugor voters told
Citizen Times wishes Datuk Huan Cheng Guan the very best in this contest. May voters realize Datuk Huan is a sincere and very experienced political leader who has vast experience in the political sphere.
Some photos from this morning's event.
Datuk Huan Cheng Guan - Candidate for the Bukit Gelugor Parliamentary Seat
PCM Members remembering YB Karpal Singh
For Immediate Release
Announcement as a candidate for the Bukit Gelugor By-Election
Penang, 9th May 2014
Former MP of Batu Kawan Huan Cheng Guan has filed the paperwork to be a candidate for the Parliamentary Seat of Bukit Gelugor. The seat fell vacant following the untimely demise of the late YB Karpal Singh.
I will be running for the Bukit Gelugor Parliamentary seat because Penangites and Malaysians now need a non-partisan voice in the Federal government to fight for their interests and not that of any party.
Malaysia is my beloved country where freedom abounds and many have realized their dreams here. However, Malaysia has become deeply divided after last year's General Elections and current events show how our way of life is at stake because of negative forces that are dividing the Rakyat and even instigating them to go on to the streets to overthrow the government Arab-spring style. And history has now proven that the Arab spring is a failure and their citizens are now suffering greatly from it.
Becoming a Member of Parliament again is the best way I can think of to protect my constituents and the nation as a whole.
Over the next few weeks of campaign, I will be reaching out to Bukit Gelugor voters to hear their grouses and to see how I can better serve them should I be elected.
I am running for this position because Penangites and Malaysians must not lose sight of how they must be able to live the way they want to without letting the real character of Penang, especially Bukit Gelugor, be negatively impacted by overdevelopment and poor town planning.
With my past experience as MP for Batu Kawan and various other organizations, I believe I can stride forward confidently to be the voice in Parliament to speak up for or against issues in tandem with my voters’ feelings.
Undoubtedly, I will speak without fear or favour when dealing with issues of concern to my constituents,Penang and the nation.
If you disagree with BN and Pakatan Rakyat on certain issues, let me be YOUR VOICE in parliament.
If elected, apart from what I have listed in my election manifesto which will be revealed later, I will set up a service centre in my constituency which will be manned by experienced staff who will attend to the needs of voters. I will also set-up a top-notch team to work with me in helping to table policies that will benefit the nation. For sure, values of fairness, integrity and changes that matter will be the hallmark of my service to my constituency.
My track record shows what I have done for the people in Batu Kawan and many Malaysians irrespective of creed, class and colour before, during and even when I was no longer MP. My record of achievement is founded on courage, commitment and compassion which are the beacons of my public service; not political posturing.
If elected, you can be sure I will stand firm for what matters, stand up against what is not good for my constituents/Malaysians and to spur development or change in people-centric ways. One of my hopes is to ensure Penang regains its shine and glory in manufacturing, tourism, education and even the quality of life that each of us deserves.
Give me a chance to give you my best because I believe my life's experiences, professional expertise, abilities, skills, political philosophy and understanding of Penang’s issues have positioned me as a worthy candidate for the Bukit Gelugor by-election.
I am a true blue Penang ‘lang’ born on 13th February, 1961. Unbeknownst to many, I had a humble childhood and worked relentlessly in countless of odd jobs.
Along the way, I acquired education and experience in the Royal Malaysian Air Force. After marrying my dear wife, I have been blessed with two sons and two grandchildren.
As a Penang lang and an admirer of Karpal Singh's work in Bukit Gelugor, I am sufficiently concerned about five pressing issues that I believe is a major threat to Penang and her citizens. I need to be reassured that these issues are being taken care of by the present Penang government.
If the current Penang DAP government can address or tell us their plans to address these immediate issues and reassure me that Penang is in good hands in the period between now and the voting day, I will withdraw my candidacy immediately.
1) Can the Penang government honour and fulfill Karpal Singhs last two requests to the Penang leadership which went unheeded?
- The first is that in July last year, Karpal Singh wanted to jail or impose tougher punishments on the culprits responsible for the famous Bukit Relau/Bukit Gambir Botak Hill incident? Penang needs to send a clear message to the current and future governments that such blatant environmental violation of Penangmust not happen again.
- The second is in January this year, Karpal Singh wanted the Penang State Govt to use its two-thirds majority to challenge the banning of the use of 40 words for non-Muslims was was enforced on April 29,2010. Even Brunei who has just implemented Hudud laws only bans 19 words and Brunei's penalty is actually less severe than Penang's where Penang non-Muslims can be fined RM3,000 and jailed for up to 2 years if found flouting this law. I had raised this issue in a press conference in January this year but our Chief Minister, YAB Lim Guan Eng had not responded. In fact he has not responded to anyone of this issue.
2) According to MIDA's official reports, Penang's investments have plummeted more than 73% and from number one position in 2011 to 6th place in 2012 and 4th place in 2013, just barely edging out Sabah. At this time, the figures for January to March this year shows Penang at a distant 5th place with top-place Sarawak getting almost 10 times the investments of Penang so far.
Even more worrying is that most of the investment into Penang these past years have come from domestic sources and related to property development and not the foreign investments that can generate high-quality jobs for Penang people. The Chief Minister is on record to say that IKEA is a "critical economic catalyst" for Penang. I fail to see how a furniture seller who is going to sell furniture to us can be considered a "critical economic catalyst".
I need to know what is the Penang govt's plan to address this worrying trend of declining investments and in particular, declining high quality investments into Penang? Is the Penang government unable to work effectively with the Federal Govt to help attract high quality foreign investments into Penang? Perhaps I can assist if I am elected MP.
3) The latest Audit Report 2012 on Penang's finances released late last year shows a very worrying trend where the Penang State's yearly expenses have almost doubled from 2008 to 2012, while normaltax revenues have essentially remained flat and actually declined in 2012. Penang is able to cover thisdoubling of expenses by generating revenues of more than 1,000% from sales of state land and assets in 2012 compared to 2008. Obviously a doubling of expenses that is covered by increasing asset sales is not a viable long-term situation. I need to know what are the plans of the Penang State government in addressing this.
4) The recent Hudud push by PAS is worrying to many Penang-lang and I request DAP to immediately stop their ally, PAS from tabling the two bills when parliament resumes on June 9, which will be less than two weeks after the polling day for Bukit Gelugor.
The Hudud bills require careful study and Malaysia is not ready for Hudud until the necessary legal and constitutional framework and safeguards are in place.
DAP had reassured us that PAS will not table the Hudud bills after GE13 as DAP had said that they havean agreement with PAS and at one stage, was even planning to contest under PAS's logo.
DAP has 38 MP seats and almost double PAS's 21 seats. It is certainly within DAP's influence to stop PAS and it is definitely DAP's responsibility to fulfill their pre-GE13 reassurances.
If DAP is unable to stop PAS come voting day May 25th, the voters of Bukit Gelugor must take the opportunity of this election to withdraw support to DAP and send a strong message to DAP that if DAP cannot stop PAS from tabling Hudud then DAP should be prepared for heavy loss of support like this inGE14.
5) Can the Penang State govt immediately declassify and release the agreement for the controversial proposed Penang tunnel project?
I understand that there is a Freedom of Information act within Penang that allows this. Penang Island's population is only 700,000 at the moment and we already have two bridges and now we have already signed an agreement to build a third link. Singapore has a population of 6 million and still have two bridges with mainland Malaysia and they are still not confirmed to build a third link.
While I am not against the Tunnel project per se, I would like the Penang State to immediately release the agreement on this tunnel project for us to understand better the rational and details of this project.
I sincerely hope that I can get solid answers for the 5 concerns that I listed above.
However, if the answers are not forth-coming or not to our satisfaction and I have to contest in this by-election, Bukit Gelugor voters have my assurance that I am committed to enduring principles that we all hold closely to our heart. For certain, I will defend our constitution and rights with courage and conviction.
My motivation for seeking office is not driven by what’s best for Penang but rather, what is best for Penangites and Malaysia simply because I love Penang and Malaysia.
There is no other place on earth that I would trade my Penang with.
_____________________________________
Eulogy for the late YB Karpal Singh
By Datuk Huan Cheng Guan
Eulogy for the late YB Karpal Singh
By Datuk Huan Cheng Guan
This evening, we are gathered here to remember the late YB Karpal Singh who tragically left us on April 17th 2014. It has been almost a month now since his untimely demise and yet, there is still a sense of emptiness in democratic space and in court for the vacuum he left behind can never be filled by anyone.
I am sure we still remember the huge crowd that attended his funeral. That mammoth crowd says volumes about Karpal’s greatness and how much he was loved by many Malaysians near and far. I doubt there has ever been or can ever be anyone who can have a sharp mind like that of Karpal to construct such powerful legal arguments displaying firm principles and expressed fluently and eloquently. Truly, Karpal’s knowledge of the law and Malaysian is likely to be unmatched by others for many years to come.
Thousands have been inspired by Karpal’s commitment to his work, calling, and belief. His political views were fair and he never ridiculed others with differing views. I believe Karpal’s words and actions were often if not always, based on principles he held close to his heart.
Clearly, he was unafraid of anyone when standing up for his beliefs. For who he was, what he did and what he stood for, let’s all thank his family for their own sacrifices made to share Karpal with us and remember him not just as ‘Tiger of Jelutong’, but as a wonderful man who gave his all to our country.
If indeed I do contest, all I ask is this chance to represent Bukit Gelugor constituents. If I were to succeed, for sure, I will maintain the late Karpal Singh’s tradition of relentlessly seeking justice, bringing development to people where it matters, listening to constituents and speaking up whenever necessary."
Let us have a minute of silence to remember the greatness and life of Karpal Singh. May his soul always be at peace.
I am sure we still remember the huge crowd that attended his funeral. That mammoth crowd says volumes about Karpal’s greatness and how much he was loved by many Malaysians near and far. I doubt there has ever been or can ever be anyone who can have a sharp mind like that of Karpal to construct such powerful legal arguments displaying firm principles and expressed fluently and eloquently. Truly, Karpal’s knowledge of the law and Malaysian is likely to be unmatched by others for many years to come.
Thousands have been inspired by Karpal’s commitment to his work, calling, and belief. His political views were fair and he never ridiculed others with differing views. I believe Karpal’s words and actions were often if not always, based on principles he held close to his heart.
Clearly, he was unafraid of anyone when standing up for his beliefs. For who he was, what he did and what he stood for, let’s all thank his family for their own sacrifices made to share Karpal with us and remember him not just as ‘Tiger of Jelutong’, but as a wonderful man who gave his all to our country.
If indeed I do contest, all I ask is this chance to represent Bukit Gelugor constituents. If I were to succeed, for sure, I will maintain the late Karpal Singh’s tradition of relentlessly seeking justice, bringing development to people where it matters, listening to constituents and speaking up whenever necessary."
Let us have a minute of silence to remember the greatness and life of Karpal Singh. May his soul always be at peace.
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