Plaintiffs in sPICE suit are BN members

The Penang BN info chief confirms this, but says, “So what?”

GEORGE TOWN: The four ratepayers suing the state over the sPICE project are Barisan Nasional members, as many observers have suspected.

Penang BN information chief Loga Bala Mohan admitted this today, but denied that the coalition was trying to gain political mileage over the issue.

He said the four were merely carrying out their public duty. Their suit, filed at the High Court here, challenges the validity of the SPICE (Subterranean Penang International Convention and Exhibition Centre) project, which has been a target of criticism by BN as well as several civic groups.

Loga was commenting on a text message circulating here that the four—R Rama Krishnan, 59, Abd Manan Abd Manap, 58, K Sathiasilan, 53, and Khoo Yen Her, 37—were BN members.

According to the message, Rama is a PPP activist, Abd Manan is Bayan Baru Umno secretary, Sathiasilan is Bayan Baru MIC chief and Khoo is a Gerakan member and personal assistant to former Pantai Jerejak assemblyman Wong Mun Hoe.

Loga confirmed the contents of the message but said Rama was a member of Gerakan, not PPP.

He pointed out that BN had never said they were not its members, but he insisted that they were filing the suit on behalf of ratepayers.

“As ratepayers and taxpayers, they have rights like any ordinary citizen,” he said. “They cannot be denied of their citizen’s rights merely because they are political party members.”

Political ploy

Penang Gerakan’s Legal and Human Rights Bureau chief Baljit Singh rubbished the text message for implying that the suit was a BN ploy to politicise the ambitious sPICE project.

He accused the Pakatan Rakyat state government of being behind the message, calling it its ploy to divert public attention from the real issues behind the project.

“It’s not about politics,” he said. “It’s about suspected irregularities and usurpation of local government power by the state authority.”

The four plaintiffs are asking the court to declare null and void the sPICE contract signed last August by the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) and real estate developer Eco-Meridian Sdn Bhd (EMSB).

They claim that the State Executive Council has usurped municipality powers provided under the Town and Country Planning Act to force the MPPP to sign the contract with EMSB.

They have named Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, MPPP, EMSB and all 10 state executive councillors as defendants.

The sPICE project will dismantle a 24-acre public recreational and sports centre in Relau and refurbish it into an exclusive recreational spot, an international convention centre, an aquatic centre and a posh hotel.

Loga recalled that Lim was once jailed for criticising the government’s handling of a statutory rape allegation against former Malacca chief minister Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik.

“DAP then claimed that Lim was defending the people’s interests,” he said. “So why is it wrong for BN members to file a suit to defend laymen interests and rights?”