Personal opinion interpreted as position of the Finance Ministry; Did Tony Pua overstep his authority or was he acting on Guan Eng’s instruction

Minister of Finance Lim Guan Eng must respond as to whether remarks uttered by his Political Secretary Tony Pua which went against government policy were based on the former’s instructions. Otherwise, Tony Pua has overstepped his authority.  

As a Political Secretary, Tony Pua’s duty are to perform tasks, assignments as directed by his  Minister, such as issuing statements, preparing speeches, representing the Minister at functions and others.

However, Tony Pua recently issued a statement in the capacity as the Political Secretary of the Minister of Finance to clarify that the government will not sell off the assets of Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB). He also said that the government is in talks with ride-sharing apps company Grab to replace feeder busses to ferry passengers at LRT stations. These announcements are usually made by those in the rank of Cabinet Minister, or Deputy Minister.

I doubt whether these announcements reflect Guan Eng’s instruction, or has Tony Pua overstepped his jurisdiction?

The position expressed by Tony Pua has been contradicted by the Deputy Minister of Economic Dr. Mohd. Radzi Md. Jidin as well as the Minister of Transport Antony Loke who claimed that Tony Pua’s remarks were his personal opinion and not the government’s. However, Tony Pua’s remarks were made in public and are thus interpreted as representing the government’s position. His remarks have dealt a blow to the credibility of the Ministry of Finance, Lim Guan Eng and to himself Tony Pua.

Lim Guan Eng must clarify this issue. Are remarks by his Political Secretary Tony Pua spoken on his behalf as Finance Minister, considering that both Antony Loke and Mohd. Radzi Md. Jidin had expressed that those remarks were Tony Pua’s personal opinion. Otherwise, the situation will cause people to miscomprehend Tony Pua’s power. The remarks should be made only within a terms of reference within the authority of the Finance Ministry

Lau Chin Kok
MCA Publicity Bureau Deputy Chairman

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