Media statement by Lim Guan Eng in Komtar, George Town on Wednesday, 15^th June 2011: 

Koh Tsu Koon should be constructive by delivering on his promise of a new RM4 billion investment in a Global Excellence Centre by a US company instead of trying to politicise and sabotage the Greater Penang Masterplan 

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon should be constructive in his role to help Penang by delivering on his promise of a new RM4 billion investment in a Global Excellence Centre by a United States company instead of trying to politicise and sabotage the Greater Penang Masterplan (GPM). Koh had announced on May 16 2011 that Prime Minister Dato Sri Najib Abdul Razak would be revealing an extraordinary investment by an American company in Penang when Najib visited US last month.

Koh claimed that he played a major role as an adviser to the American company in making its decision to invest RM4 billion to set up a Global Excellence Centre in Penang. However to-date there is no news and concrete evidence of this new RM4 billion investment in a Global Excellence Center by the American company.

The Penang state government would appreciate Koh's efforts to deliver on this important RM 4 billion promise, which would spur innovation and the growth of Penang as a hub of research and development. Instead of delivering on his RM4 billion promise, Koh has launched an attack against the State government for not delivering our Penang Blueprint.

I had explained that the Penang state government had completed our preparation for our Penang Blueprint but had decided to shelve it to work together with Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala on the GPM. The GPM is an initiative by Najib to make Penang the third megapolis in Malaysia.

Like the Penang Blueprint, the GPM is an all-encompassing report that covers not just industry and the economy but also ordinary people and sustainable living. As a historic collaborative effort by the state and federal government, the GPM demonstrates that the state government can have a mature working relationship with the Federal government for the benefit of the people of Penang.

To demonstrate our sincerity, the Penang state government had shelved the completed Penang Blueprint so that joint discussions and inputs can be freely given from both sides in private, unhindered by political pressures and without any one party imposing their views on the other. For the GPM to work, it must not come only from one side but a genuine collaborative effort from both sides. Unfortunately this sincerity from the state government has been used by Koh to attack the state government for failing to deliver the Penang Blueprint.

Koh clearly sees the GPM as a threat to his efforts to take back Penang and is therefore trying to politicise and sabotage it. The Penang stage government does not want to play political games on the GPM as it can affect the future of 1.6 million Penangites.

For this reason, much as we are tempted to call Koh's political bluff by challenging Koh to resign by producing and making public the Penang Blueprint report, we have refrained from doing so. Exercising our responsibility to governing Penang well and in a mature manner is more important than scoring political points to prove that Koh is lying.

After all, Koh's performance or non-performance during his tenure as Penang Chief Minister was already decided by the people of Penang in the 2008 general elections. However to prove Koh wrong, the state government invites him to view our Penang Blueprint report at my office. Regrettably Koh has not made this appointment to view the Penang Blueprint report when he can do so but has chosen to continue to attack the state government politically and try to sabotage the GPM.

The Penang state government will release the Penang Blueprint report after the GPM is finalised.

*Lim Guan Eng, Penang Chief Minister