BN, PR at odds over previous Penang govt's actions

Written by Regina William

Thursday, 23 April 2009 16:11

GEORGE TOWN: Just like marrying a woman and accepting her for who she is, warts and all, taking over a state government is similar.

Opposition leader Datuk Azhar Ibrahim (BN-Penaga) said hence, the current state government should not keep harping nor dwell on the past when Barisan Nasional (BN) was in power.

Azhar was seeking a clarification when agriculture and agro-based industry, rural development and flood mitigation committee chairman Law Choo Kiang was winding up on the debate on the motion of thanks to the Penang Governor Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas.

A few DAP backbenchers had touched on the negligence and blunder by the Barisan Nasional government in several matters including a quarry case that saddled the current administration with the hefty award sum of RM29.3 million.

"Even in businesses, when you take over a company, you don't only take over the assets but the liabilities as well, and the same goes for a government.

"You can't just have the good stuff; the job comes with everything and instead of harping on it, move on," Azhar said.

Jagdeep Singh Deo (DAP-Datuk Keramat) then asked Azhar to admit the previous government's shortcomings, which also included corruption.

Azhar then cautioned the backbenchers to watch what they accused the BN state assemblymen of as none have been charged nor questioned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

RSN Rayer (DAP-Seri Delima) then said those within BN who were proven by the party to be corrupt were not prosecuted due to selective prosecution by the MACC.

He then suggested that the BN state assemblymen donate RM500 each a month to make do the loss caused by the previous state government's negligence.

The present state government was recently asked to deposit 50% of the award sum of RM29.3 million to Tang Hak Ju with the High Court, while the case was under appeal.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the state would have to table a supplementary bill during the July state legislative assembly sitting to approve the funds as it was too late to do so during the current sitting.

During the state legislative assembly sitting in July last year, former BN deputy chief minister Datuk Seri Hilmi Yahya admitted negligence and took responsibility for the land deal which has resulted in the state government being liable to pay RM40 million in a legal suit.

Datuk Seri Hilmi Yahaya (BN-Teluk Bahang), who was the deputy chief minister from 1999 to 2004, said the incident happened when he was the land committee chairman.

The Tang Hak Ju case involved a 10.6 acre quarry site which had been given to an individual by the then state government but later cancelled the deal.

Before the case was brought to court, the individual had agreed to a compensation of RM1.8 million but the state government refused to pay.

This resulted in the case being taken to court and the court ordering the state government to pay RM40 million which was reduced to RM29.3 million after appeal.

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Last Updated on Thursday, 23 April 2009 16:21