[Malaysia] Khir Toyo ~ Shooting Stars Syndrome

The Star, Kuala Lumpur

13 March 2005

MB fighting for survival

It has been a nightmarish fortnight for Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo but the embattled politician is coming to grips with the environmental concerns in his state and is determined to survive this crisis, writes JOCELINE TAN.

OVER the past two weeks, Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo has been trailed by a large press entourage wherever he went.

And Thursday morning was no different despite the routine nature of the occasion. Emerging from his official car at the esplanade area in Klang, he found yet another milling crowd of press corps, including all the major TV stations.

He was in no mood to entertain the media. After a brief stop at the esplanade, he hopped onto a speedboat to get to his next appointment at the Selangor Yacht Club.

Dr Khir has had a nightmarish fortnight and is probably going through the worst crisis of his political career. And the pressure showed on his face. His clothes hung loose on his body and there was none of his usual banter with reporters.

The former dentist is the youngest of all the Mentris Besar but with his greying hair and grim expression, he looked far older than his 40 years. He has been whipped left and right over the issue of massive land clearing in Shah Alam that has threatened the ecology of the Bukit Cahaya Seri Alam Agricultural Park.

This was despite the fact that the projects had been approved before he took over. But just as the hue and cry over the issue began to cool, another hot potato dropped in the form of a posh multi-million-ringgit housing scheme supposedly for Selangor exco members and senior government officials.

As they say, it doesn’t rain but it pours.

Dr Khir has been fighting hard for his political survival. Selangor circles were all abuzz that he was about to lose his job, but he will survive this latest crisis – for now, at least.

He has put up a concerted case on the clearing of the Bukit Cahaya green belt to the Prime Minister and his promise to bring the errant developers to court is part of his explanation. It is understood that Putrajaya is giving him the chance to make good on the action plan he has presented.

Regardless of the explanation, the Prime Minister – who has made a strong case for good governance, efficient delivery of services and transparency – is taking the entire issue very seriously. He has made no bones of the fact that he will not accept another such episode. The Mentri Besar, said a Putrajaya official, had been treading on thin ice and the next slip may be fatal.

But Dr Khir’s supporters bristle at any suggestion of him stepping down. “Replacement is not a question here. This is an administrative issue, it's not about women or money,” said Faisal Abdullah, deputy Umno Youth head for Selangor and staunch Khir-loyalist.

Dr Khir’s troubles began with a report in Utusan Malaysia about how 35 developers were clearing 1,200ha of forests – a quarter of the total area of Putrajaya – located on the edge of the agricultural park. The Mentri Besar was away on an overseas trade mission when the issue broke.

Several days later, he flew into KLIA looking rather wan and nursing a cold. He insisted he had returned because he was unwell and not because of the issue. The next day, he visited the agricultural park but steered clear from the controversial land clearing and concluded his visit by declaring that “everything is okay”.

That afternoon, he arrived at the Prime Minister's office with a thick file and emerged only two hours later. The matter was serious enough to be discussed at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday and the prognosis, from most accounts, was not too favourable for the Selangor administration.

On Thursday, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi decided to inspect the damage first-hand, flying over the area in an Augusta helicopter. The Prime Minister later told reporters he was waiting to see whether his orders for immediate action on the issue would be carried out. He also identified several other areas of environmental concern in Selangor.

That was when speculation that Dr Khir would be stepping down reached frenzy pitch. But the Mentri Besar has not been taking all this lying down. He quickly held a meeting with all the developers and announced action against those who had breached the law.

His aides planned a series of damage-control programmes – handing over keys to owners of low-cost houses and an inspection of other troubled greenbelts singled out by the Prime Minister. He met with his state Umno Youth, Wanita and Puteri wings to stress that this was an administrative, not a political, issue and that it had to do with weaknesses in the enforcement and delivery system.

Said Faisal: “We told him to be patient, that it is part of the challenges of being a young and rising leader. He has our undivided support.” Three evenings ago, Dr Khir sat down with senior journalists for a frank session. He is better at these small, informal group sessions where he can be himself and speak frankly.

He did not mouth excuses or try to downplay the seriousness of the issue but said that if he had done wrong, he was sorry and intended to rectify things. Dr Khir reminded the press that the Bukit Cahaya housing development project was approved before he took over as Mentri Besar but he was prepared to take the wrap because he did not believe in blaming his predecessors, adding that enforcement could have been better carried out by the local authorities.

“It's okay. I'm prepared to face the criticisms.”

He appealed to the media to assess him in a more balanced manner – to weigh the recent contentious issues against his overall track record of building low-cost homes, tripling foreign investments, creating jobs and providing urban facilities. Some see the whole sorry episode as the “curse of the Selangor MB seat”, implying that those who occupy the post are bound to end up disgraced in one way or another and citing examples dating back to Datuk Harun Idris.

There is a more rational explanation for all this.

The post has always been a hot seat by virtue of the fact that Selangor is the fastest growing region in the country, home to a large and demanding population, and is under tremendous development pressure. Whoever occupies the seat is subjected to pressure from all sectors.

The trouble, too, is that Selangor's centrality in the national economy means that the hot seat carries a great deal of power and prestige, and the occupant, if he is not careful, can easily lose touch with reality and priorities. As one seasoned journalist put it: “The pace of development is so rapid, so much wealth goes around. It takes a really unique person to walk the straight and narrow path.”

Conspiracy theories also find currency among the Umno crowd and Dr Khir's supporters are naturally prone to what they perceive as “a grand design” to topple him. Dr Khir was only 35 when he was picked for the job. A common comment made of Dr Khir by his political colleagues is that he is hard working but inexperienced. He was basically tripped by his administration's own inefficiencies and errors. The press highlighted them and his adversaries – not all of whom are outside of Umno – took advantage.

The environment has not always been as emotive an issue as women and money in the downfall of politicians but the Bukit Cahaya issue ought to be a lesson on the way politicians handle environmental issues in their own states.
The Prime Minister recently told his MPs in Sabah that their political honeymoon was over and it was time to deliver on their promises to the people. Dr Khir's honeymoon is over, too. That is why his delivery has to be even smoother, more efficient and transparent.



Khairy comes out in defence of Khir

DEPUTY Umno Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin and Datuk Seri Mohd Khir Toyo are not seen as allies in the politics of the party. They are potential contenders for the top Umno Youth post but Khairy, in a show of solidarity, came out in defence of the embattled Mentri Besar, declaring his sympathies for Dr Khir and the way he has been portrayed by the media.

Khairy told The Star: “He has not been fairly treated. It's not easy being Mentri Besar, let alone that of Selangor. Everyone says that since he wants to be in a position of power, he should take it as it comes. But you cannot punch people below the belt.

“He's stated his position, presented his case in great detail to the PM, and said that those who cleared the land without permission would be taken to court.”

Asked why he identified with Dr Khir's dilemma, Khairy said: “I'm sorry if I seem over-sympathetic but I get the same treatment and I can relate to him.

“It's something similar to the shooting-star syndrome, or the tall poppy? He's rising fast, he's young, he's No.1 in the supreme council and he becomes an easy target.”