Media statement by Lim Guan Eng in Komtar, George Town on Friday, 26^th August 2011: 

PR will continue to press BN to come clean on RM300 million scandals  

Penang PR state government will not be distracted by baseless accusations and lies but will instead press for BN to come clean on BN's RM300 million scandals on land scams, Pulau Jerejak and mismanagement of MPSP funds. To-date BN has refused to account and explain for the RM300 million loss in public funds:-

a) RM230 million loss by MPSP in 8 years which made MPSP bankrupt and was only rescued in 2008 when the PR state government took over(See graph);

b) RM30 million loss from sale of developable land in Pulau Jerejak to UDA; and

c) RM40 million loss resulting from the Tang Hak Ju land scam in Bukit Mertajam.

BN state working committee chairman Dr Teng Hock Nan must have the courage to prove his wild and baseless allegations that the PR state government has approved plans to revive the previously rejected Penang Hill development by the Berjaya Group. Failure to do so will sadly mark Teng's imminent departure and end of political career as a liar.

Penang Hill is now managed under the authority of the Penang Hill Corporation, which was established by enactment in the Penang state assembly in 2010. In line with the Penang state government's CAT governance of Competency Accountability and Tranparency, all development projects are carried out by open tender.

Teng alleged that the PR state government's adoption of the Berjaya Group plans will be 100 times more damaging to the environment than the RM25 billion Penang Global City Centre (PGCC) project sanctioned by BN before the PGCC was rejected by the new PR state government.

I wish to reiterate that the Berjaya group has never sent any proposal to develop Penang Hill to the present state government. Neither has the Berjaya group even bid for any of the 3 development projects carried out by open public tender, namely Craig Hotel, the hawker complex and the canopy walk.

So Teng Hock Nan, do you have the guts to show your evidence to prove that the present PR state government has approved Berjaya's plans to develop Penang Hill? If Teng fails to do so, then he should either withdraw his statement and apologise or else be forever branded as a liar.

The latest attempt to distract attention from the real issues of corruption and mismanagement of public assets and funds with non-existent issues only shows how desperate BN is in trying to regain public confidence. BN can take this RM300 million loss lightly because it is not their money but PR will try to get this money back from BN or other connected parties because it belongs to the people. Regrettably BN has not even apologised to the public for causing the RM300 million losses.

BN has no answer to PR anti-corruption stance, CAT governance and open tenders which has even earned Penang praise from Transparency International and The Economist, the first time this has happened in Peanng's history. Unless BN comes clean on this RM300 million scandals, Penangites will never support a party mired in mismanagement and corruption.

*Lim Guan Eng, Penang Chief Minister, DAP Secretary General & MP for Bagan