Guan Eng advised to be careful when making statements

(NST) PUTRAJAYA, THURS: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today advised Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to be careful in making statements, as he is now a leader of a state government.

He should not be a populist, Abdullah told Bernama after he had a 30-minute meeting with Guan Eng, who is also DAP secretary-general, at his office here.

Abdullah said: “I told him that we have been observing closely what is happening in Penang. I advised him that he is now the leader of the government there and that he should be careful in making statements.”

Referring to Guan Eng’s recent comments on the New Economic Policy (NEP), the prime minister said he should not be making sweeping statements that equated the NEP with corruption.

Abdullah said he could not accept such a sweeping statement as it would cause anger and misunderstanding that would be hard to undo.

The prime minister asked Guan Eng to eradicate poverty and ensure that there was growth with equity in Penang.

Abdullah said he also told Lim that the federal government would honour all its commitments, including several big projects, as planned in Penang.

“These are not show-off or mega projects. These are projects with specific objectives based on the needs of the people,” he said.

On the construction of the Second Penang Bridge, Abdullah said national oil corporation, Petronas, would not fund it because all its revenue was passed to the federal government for development expenditure and subsidies.

Abdullah said he also asked Lim to expedite the acquisition and alienation of land for the construction of the bridge.

Referring to the open tender system based on a level-playing field proposed by Guan Eng, Abdullah reiterated that it may not be fair to groups that were disadvantaged.

The prime minister stressed that the tender process must be equitable.

Meanwhile, Guan Eng told reporters after the meeting that the federal government had assured that all major projects in Penang, including the Second Bridge, would continue as scheduled.

“It is the hope of all parties involved that the bridge would be completed on the scheduled time frame which is Jan 1, 2011,” he said.

Guan Eng said the Penang state government would do whatever it could to ensure that the construction of the bridge did not hit any glitch.

However, he said, the federal government would not fund the construction of the second bridge using funds from Petronas.

“I of course made that suggestion, even if cannot fully, at least partialy (utilise Petronas funds), but he (Abdullah) said it is not possible. Even though I feel that Petronas should fund it, he told me due to the subsidies and other commitments, it is not possible at the moment as much as they would like to.

“The Prime Minister has given his assurance that the project will not face any problems. I also handed over a letter to him outlining several proposals stressing the need for continued development of the state.

“We have also asked that the allocation for Penang by the federal government be increased to the original level. Penang got a reduced federal government allocation last year. I hope to get a favourable reply to the letter soon,” he added.

Guan Eng said he also raised a few political issues with Abdullah “but I don’t want to mention about it here.”
“On the New Economic Policy, we exchanged views and clarification of what was said and what was not said. Certain things are claimed to be said by me which was not said at all but certain things which I said was not published at all.

“But what is important is that we accept the new political situation. He is the PM of the country and I represent the people of Penang,” he added.

Guan Eng also said the Penang state government wanted to have cordial working relations with the federal government so that all the development projects that have been planned could be continued for the people’s benefit.

“The people have made the decision to support a new government in Penang and also support the federal government. It is crucial that we together fulfil the mandate given to continue with the projects identified,” he said.

Guan Eng also expressed the hope that the federal government ministries would maintain their previous relations with the state government and not discriminate the state government just because it was Opposition-based.