GEORGE TOWN: Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew’s hurricane tour of Malaysia is over, but his comments on Penang’s lack of infrastructure and communications networks still appear to rankle with some parties.

Penang Gerakan issued another statement on June 16 saying that if facilities were found to be wanting in Penang, it would not have attracted over RM10 billion in investments last year.

Penang Gerakan assistant secretary Goh Kheng Sneah said investors flocked to the state because of several factors including the state’s sound infrastructure and communications network. “Foreign investors would not have invested huge sums of money in Penang if the state cannot meet their requirements,” said Goh.

“It is obvious that the state’s infrastructure, communication network and other facilities should continue to be improved to meet increasing demand for quality by local and foreign investors,” he said.

Goh said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had a political motive in echoing Singapore’s Lee that the infrastructure in Penang had made little progress in the past two decades.

“Lim’s intention was to purposely tarnish the previous state government’s image. This is a very irresponsible and a low-level approach,” said Goh.

He said that according to the Asia News Channel, Lee had emphasised that if Penang wanted to attract investors, it needed better infrastructure and communication links.

“To secure funding for these projects, Lee believed the Penang state government should work closely with the federal government to gain its support.

“It is now the duty of the state government to maintain and further improve Penang’s infrastructure and communications network,” Goh added.

Lee, who met with Lim before meeting Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, had commented to both leaders about Penang’s lack of proper infrastructure and also communications networks.

While Lim blamed the sorry situation on the previous administration helmed by Koh and lack of federal support, Koh passed the buck back to Lim, saying Lee was comparing George Town’s roads with the better paved roads in Seremban and Ipoh.