![](https://i.malaysiakini.com/1151/d9437c055c2b76e2380e65d746cee00f.jpeg)
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has put off responding to questions on why some state assemblypersons are exempted from managing the flood aid registration process, saying he would only do so after Dec 2.
The date refers to when the registration for victims of the disastrous Nov 4 and 5 floods in the state to qualify for the RM700 aid will be held.
Lim confirmed that PKR Kebun Bunga assemblyperson Cheah Kah Peng has been exempted from handling the registration.
![](https://i.malaysiakini.com/1006/dae45b6a35dc6a58a6911b66ccce4927.jpg)
"Let us focus on the registration first, we will answer all your questions (on the exemption) after Dec 2," Lim said in reply to reporters today.
He said the state government has designed a new system to reach out to as many flood victims as possible.
"We are doing it in 10 days and not in months. If we are doing it for months, we can use the normal procedure," he told a press conference in Komtar.
"We need to complete the work in less than a month, so we have designed a new procedure to deal with it. It is an internal procedural change.
"With this new system, we hope all victims get to register their names for the aid and that no one gets left out.
"This is a historical exercise to finish the process in less than 10 days, which includes online registration," Lim added.
Lim and Yap to handle the task
He said the task has been taken over by him and Pulau Tikus state assemblyperson Yap Soo Huey.
Lim was responding to a question on why Cheah was exempted from the exercise. Cheah received a letter, dated Nov 20, from state secretary Farizan Darus informing him of this decision.
The decision raises speculation of an ongoing rift between Lim and the five PKR assemblypersons, dubbed as the 'PKR 5'.
The five had irked Lim, who described them as "saboteurs", after they abstained from voting against an Umno motion on land reclamation during the state legislative assembly proceedings in November 2016.
On a related matter, Lim denied that PAS Permatang Pasir state assemblyperson Salleh Man has been exempted from the registration exercise.
Salleh, the sole PAS elected representative in Penang, was present at the press conference today, wearing dark glasses, as he had undergone a cataract operation.
"He is still part of the Pakatan Harapan government," Lim said.- Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.