Guan Eng’s many, many officers and bloated info department

The New Straits Times yesterday reported Penang state assemblyman for Pulau Betong, Muhammad Farid Saad, as noting the marked increase in the number of press secretaries attached to chief minister Lim Guan Eng.

Muhammad Farid also observed a significant expansion in the information division of the CM’s office. He had obtained the relevant details in a reply to his written question put during the state assembly sitting.

While the former CM Koh Tsu Koon employed only 13 staff in his office previously, the number has more than doubled – to 28 – under the Guan Eng administration. Furthermore, this bloated intake bypassed the usual channels of staff procurement through the state secretariat as well as the Penang Economic Planning Unit.

Given Guan Eng’s personal army of media personnel, the public is naturally interested to learn what the tasks are assigned to these mass communication/public relations practitioners handpicked by Guan Eng and whether they are operating outside the ambit of established protocols.

It is no secret that Guan Eng’s people are extremely active in cyberspace if not aggressive too. It is also an open secret that the chief minister is hyper-sensitive to criticism.

Whether there is any connection or not, bloggers who are critical of the Penang chief minister certainly feel the sting. Read more here.

Source: MOLE