PM: Pakatan reaping BN’s hardwork in Penang

Najib fires a broadside at Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for claiming credit on almost all state successes achieved as a result of the hard work done by BN.

GEORGE TOWN: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak today slammed the Pakatan Rakyat Penang state government for claiming credit on achievements laid down by previous Barisan Nasional administration.

Najib fired a broadside at Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for claiming credit on almost all state successes achieved after all the hard work done by BN.

He cited that Penang managed to achieve high investment volume last year due to the previous administration’s incentives provided to multi-national companies, such as Motorola and Western Digital.

He said former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and ex-chief minister Koh Tsu Koon were the ones responsible for the MNCs heavy reinvestments in the state.

He also chided Lim for claiming credit for reduction of state’s debt by 95 per cent from RM600 million in March 2008 to RM29.66 million in Sept 30 last year.

In truth, he said Lim’s government has on June 2 last year effectively converted the state’s outstanding loan of RM655.24 million owing to the federal government into a grant.

This happened when the state-link company, Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang (PBAPP), entered into a water restructuring agreement with the federal government via Pengurusan Aset Air Bhd (PAAB), a company under the Ministry of Finance.

The water deal saw federal government shouldering the state’s debt. Najib revealed this during his one-day fact-finding visit to Penang today.

Meeting voters
The Barisan Nasional national chairman first held a state BN top brass meeting to finalise Gerakan secretary-general Teng Chang Yeow’s appointment as Penang BN chairman replacing out-going Senator Koh Tsu Koon.

He later met residents at a Chinese village settlement and joined some 5,000 people for lunch in Kampung Simpang Tiga near Sungai Acheh.

He gave out 18 house keys to residents of the now flattened Kampung Buah Pala village and held meetings with Indian and Chinese NGOs in Universiti Sains Malaysia before leaving.

He said the Chinese NGOs were willing to engage with BN to fulfill their demands, but he was quick to remind them that it does not mean that the federal government would resolve all their woes.

“But it was constructive engagement, we exchanged views and opinions,” he said.

Earlier during his visit, Najib has reminded coalition leaders and members that they would face an arduous task to retaining BN supremacy in the next election.

He dismissed opinion that the 2008 results, in which BN suffered unprecedented electoral reverses, was an one-off debacle.

Pakatan’s inconsistency
He ticked off coalition leaders who boasted that it would be back to business in the next election with a BN triumph.

“The next election will be mother of battle … one that determine BN survival,” he said.

He also took a swipe Pakatan leaders for their inconsistency and indifferent stands among themselves on various federal policies.

He chided Lim and his father, Ipoh Timur MP Kit Siang for now joining the chorus calling on for the abolition of the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loans after previously calling for more funds to boost it.

“The only consistency among them is their inconsistency,” criticised Najib, the Umno president.