Reveal blueprint, Koh tells Guan Eng

The former CM takes challenges his successor to reveal the plan. He also accuses the latter of riding on the success of plans put in place by BN.

GEORGE TOWN: Former Chief Minister Koh Tsu Koon today challenged his successor Lim Guan Eng to officially unveil his promised Penang industrial blueprint.

Penang Barisan Nasional chairman Koh recalled that Lim announced before an international business community in Singapore in June last year that the state Pakatan Rakyat government had readied a blueprint for the state industrial development.

“But it has been a year now and we can’t even see its shadow. He (Lim) is good in politicking before an international audience. But until today he is yet to produce the master plan that he said was ready. I’m urging the state government to officially produce and unveil the blueprint for the sake of Penang and its people.

“Penangites need to see the blueprint to gauge the state government’s performance,” said Koh in his official address at the BN state convention here.

He likened Chief Minister Lim to a person who would make a lot of noise before a large audience but cannot produce anything productive for the people.

He also rebuked Lim for always being quick to claim credit for successes nurtured from project plans laid out by the previous BN government.

“He must come up with own (ideas) and produce own success,” he told some 1,000 members from all BN component parties.

He said unlike the previous BN government, the current state government was yet to build a single low or low-medium cost house for the urban lower income population.

He said the only low-cost housing project going on was under the Jelutong project on a reclaimed site.

“But then it was the previous BN government’s project plan not his,” said Koh.

He also called on Lim to explain the exorbitant leap in housing prices in Penang over the past three years.

‘Can’t live without mentioning my name’

Since BN’s defeat in Penang in the 2008 general election, said Koh, not a single day has passed without Lim slamming him on various issues.

“It seems he can’t live without mentioning my name on a daily basis,” he quipped.

Due to constant political whacking from Pakatan leaders over the past three years, Koh said BN had now embarked on a comprehensive political transformation plan.

“We would not stand still against their political attacks any longer. We will defend ourselves and hit back hard at them,” he told to a thunderous applause from BN members.

He said that Pakatan’s terming of BN as “Barang Naik” was unfair. Other countries too are suffering from rising prices of goods. BN is not ruling in those countries,” he added.