Press Statement by Lim Guan Eng in Georgetown on Sunday, 30^th August 2009: 

Penang State Government would seek information of the shocking failure rate of 76% where RM 5.8 billion out of RM 7.6 billion worth of projects allocated for Penang under the 9th Malaysian Plan(9MP) could not be completed on time, a great loss to Penang 

Penang state government welcomes the triple assurances given by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop that twenty-two delayed projects in Penang under the Ninth Malaysia Plan costing RM 300 million will be completed as scheduled by the end of 2010, that the Federal Government would help to promote Penang as a tourism destination and also offer just treatment to all states for development projects under the 10MP (2011-2015). Penang pledges full co-operation with the Federal government to ensure speedy and timely completion of these delayed projects.

However Penang state government is deeply concerned at the shocking failure rate of 76%, where RM5.8 Billion out of the RM 7.6 billion worth of projects allocated for Penang under the 9MP, could not be completed on time. Bernama reported today Tan Sri Nor's revelation that under the 9MP, 1,055 physical development projects involving an allocation of RM7.6 billion were approved for Penang, and that 496 of these projects worth RM1.5 billion had been completed, 22 were behind schedule and the rest(537) were at various levels of implementation. In other words 537 of the 1,055 physical development projects or more than 50% of those planned under the 9MP could not be completed on time by the end of 2010. In terms of cost, the performance failure is even more alarming. Only RM 1.8 billion of the projects out of a total of RM 7.6 billion are expected to be completed on time. This means that RM 5.8 billion worth of projects have failed, a shocking failure rate of 76%! This is a great loss to Penang and there should be some explanation how this could happen and what are the projects involved.

Of the 22 projects delayed, Nor Mohamed said there were under the Health Ministry (six projects), Education Ministry (three), Works Ministry (two), Housing and Local Government Ministry (two), Higher Education Ministry (one) and Youth and Sports Ministry (one). They included the Seberang Jaya Hospital quarters and upgrading of several health centres and rural health clinics, construction of SMK Bayan Lepas, SM Pendidikan Khas Persekutuan, quarters for SK Teluk Kumbar II, the Teluk Kumbar-Pekan Genting road, Federal House in Jalan Scotland, Balik Pulau polytechnic, Penang Fire and Rescue Department headquarters in Batu Kawan, Kampung Terang fire station, and sports arenas in 40 state constituencies.

However Tan Sri Nor did not mention the 537 federal projects worth RM 5.8 billion under the 9MP that could not be completed on time. This is a significant sum as Penang contributed some RM 20 billion to federal government coffers during the period of the 9MP. Not getting our rightful share is bad enough with only RM 7.6 billion compared to the RM 20 billion in receipts by the Federal government. But it is wholly unacceptable when RM5.8 billion of the RM 7.6 billion projects under 9MP cannot be completed on time. More information would be sought from the Federal government to see what are these projects that could not be implemented as scheduled, and whether both the state and federal governments can work together to resolve this problem in the public interest.

*Lim Guan Eng, DAP Secretary-General & Penang Chief Minister; Member of Parliament for Bagan