Penang BN leader blacklisted over illegal flags

Penang BN has been issued with seven compound notices of RM250 each for putting up 1Malaysia flags along seven roads in Georgetown without the approval of the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP).

The amount covers labour and lorry charges for removing the large number of flags that appearedin tandem with the visit of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, during Chinese New Year.

MPPP councillor Ong Ah Teong said the BN was been issued a notice on Feb 20 to collect the 9,500 flags that were seized by council workers for being put up “illegally and posing danger to vehicles on the road”.

"The BN will be fined RM10 for each flag when these are collected. If they do not collect the flags, we will destroy them 14 days from the date of the notice," Ong (left) toldMalaysiakini.

"We have blacklisted Ng Say Kheng, the state Gerakan Youth vice-chief who applied for a permit for the flags.

"It is in the MPPP advertising bylaws that anyone who does not comply with our guidelines will be blacklisted."

Ong said, however, that the blacklist will not be extended to "everyone in the BN".

State BN Youth chief Oh Tong Keong when contacted admitted that the coalition had applied to put up 1,000 BN flags, and denied responsibility for the other 8,500 flags.

"We too want to know who put up the flags. We were not involved in putting up the illegal ones and we did not order for it to be done," he said.

"It is not fair to blame us, but since they (Pakatan Rakyat) are now the government, they think they can do anything. This has never before happened in Penang under the BN."

Oh said that BN is checking with its lawyers to see “how best to handle this case".

The illegal flags that were considered road hazards had been put up along roads and the five-foot ways of Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Highway, Dato Keramat, Komtar, Air Itam, Lebuh Light, Farquhar Street, Burmah Road, Jalan Kapitan Keling, Penang Road, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Gurney Drive, Jalan Kelawai and Mount Erskine Road.