Media conference statement by Lim Guan Eng in George Town on Tuesday, 14^th February 2012: 

Challenges UMNO or its cronies to buy 102.6 acres of Bayan Mutiara Land at RM420 per square feet which UMNO has alleged is the real market value 

UMNO has still not learned that what Abraham Lincoln once said that "You can fool some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time." UMNO Kota Belud MP Abdul Rahman Dahlan is so desperate to pin a scandal on the PR state government that they are claiming that the state government did not sell the 102.6 acres of land by open tender but by negotiated tender and had sold the land at a low price of RM240 per square foot instead of the market.

Abdul Rahman should show proof that the land was sold by negotiated tender. This was an open competitive tender that was advertised in the newspapers. If the market price of land at Bayan Mutiara is RM420 per square feet, the Penang state government would like to challenge UMNO or its cronies to buy the 102.6 acres of Bayan Mutiara land at RM420 per square feet.

In other words instead of presently receiving RM1.07 billion at RM240 per square feet, the state government can receive RM1.873 billion if Abdul Rahman or UMNO's cronies can pay at RM420 per square feet. If UMNO or its cronies dare not take up the challenge and buy the land at RM420 per square feet then they will be exposed as liars.

Other UMNO leaders had also lied that Ivory Properties Group Berhad, the developer who won the open tender, was exempted from building low medium cost housing in Penang but allowed to build them in Batu Kawan. Also UMNO claimed that there was no provision for schools or surau/places of worship.

This is another lie. The developer was not given any exemption and is required to build low medium cost housing in Penang as well as make provision for schools and places of worship as required by the conditions set out by the Penang Municipal Council(MPPP). The nearly 12,000 units of affordable housing in Batu Kawan is a new initiative from the Penang state government additional to the low medium cost housing that must be built by Ivory.

Penang State Government has appointed HDB Singapore in planning and designing the best quality affordable housing in Malaysia not in building and constructing which will be appointed by open tender to local contractors

The state government has used RM500 million profits from the sale of the land in Bayan Mutiara to build affordable housing on both the island and in Batu Kawan. This is the largest one-off amount allocated by any state government for affordable housing in Malaysia.

The Batu Kawan project consists of 12,000 units of affordable housing and promises to be the best quality affordable housing in Malaysia. The Penang state government passionately believes that poor in Penang deserves a home not a "box" for their children to grow up healthily and safely. Instead of imitating the best, the Penang state government has decided to choose the best planner for affordable housing in the world - Housing Development Board(HDB) of Singapore.

Penang state government has appointed HDB Singapore only in planning and designing the best quality affordable housing in Malaysia, not in building and constructing which will be appointed by open tender to local contractors. For UMNO to claim that the Penang state government has more faith in Singapore contractors than local contractors in building the affordable is not true as the work has not been tendered out yet.

However the Penang state government makes no apologies for appointing the HDB Singapore as the consultant planners they build the best quality affordable housing in the world. Why is it that when Singapore firms come to Iskandar Johor, they are welcomed and praised but when Singapore firms come to Penang, they are attacked and criticised?

This double-standards by UMNO is clearly politically motivated to provoke racial sentiments in Penang. The Penang state government will not bow to such racial attacks but will remain steadfast in our objective of providing all Penangites, regardless of race or religion, the best quality affordable housing in Malaysia by choosing the best in the world to help us complete the job.

All Penangites deserves to own their dream home where their children can live, learn, work, play safely and healthily. We want all Penangites, whether rich or poor, to share in this dream home.

*Lim Guan Eng, Penang Chief Minister