'4,000 families face eviction because of BN'

PENANG Caretaker Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has described the  federal pledge to build 9,999 units of low- and medium-cost apartments in the state as being "disrespectful" to 4,000 families who live in the three designated constituencies.

The constituencies are Air Putih, where Lim is the incumbent, Air Itam and Paya Terubong - all three are DAP strongholds.

Lim said BN head Najib Abdul Razak, who made theannouncement last night, was "desperate in making new empty election promises and dishonest in repeating unfulfilled recycled promises".

Lim also described the plan as "shocking" as the 4,000 affected families had not been informed about the move.

"Najib ... is willing to sacrifice (their) homes .... just to gain political mileage," he said in a statement today.

"Why are BN and Najib behaving in such a harsh manner by not consulting the 4,000 families, but wanting to bulldoze their homes with an announcement made without their knowledge?" he asked.

Last night, Najib said he had signed land purchase agreements  for Air Putih, Ayer Itam and Paya Terubong, with each to get 2,222 low-medium cost homes and 1,111 affordable homes.

Najib had said 1MDB will be the master developer, but Lim noted that the plan had not even been mentioned in the BN's national manifesto launched last month.

Lim said Najib was dishonest when he promised that those living in the 962 one-bedroom houses in Kampung Melayu would be given three-bedroom homes in the Air Itam affordable homes scheme.

He claimed that this was another "unfulfilled promise" by BN that has been recycled at every general election.

On the last occasion in 2008, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nor Mohamad Yakcop had made the pledge, Lim said.

Traffic congestion

As for the Padang Tembak flats - where FRU land adjoins the flats to accommodate 4,800 new low- and medium-cost homes - Lim said this raises the question of whether the residents will be evicted.

"In an already heavily congested area with a high density, how is the federal government going to build new highways to overcome traffic jams with increased density from nearly 15,000 new homes?" Lim asked.

He urged Najib to state  what highways would be built when a traffic jam of gargantuan proportions can be expected in Air Putih, Paya Terubong and Air Itam from the new housing projects.

He said Najib has the cheek to "repeat or recycle this unfulfilled promise" of building the monorail again when former premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had failed to deliver it in his time.