Penang Watch

If the PR parties intend to lure BN parties/MPs to form a new majority in Parliament and and thus a new Federal Government the posture of the component parties at state levels does not seems to move in tendem with such a policy-whether one agree with it or not. Penang's CM still keep up pressure on the Gerakan even though the PR has openly asked for the party to defect-and even after Gerakan announced that the party is considering defecting to PR as 1 viable option.Is there some confusion some where or that Opposition mindset still stick around while the positions have been moved to the ruling side?

Guan Eng stumped over agreement to pay RM33.18 million advance to IJM
by Himanshu Bhatt

GEORGE TOWN (Sept 29, 2008) : Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said today he was confused by the former state government’s agreement to give RM33.18 million as “advance payment in the form of a loan” to IJM Corp Bhd for the Jelutong Expressway project.

Lim told reporters he was curious why the state had decided to give the amount in a 1997 agreement when it had already given IJM land for the project which cost RM672.2 million .

“In addition to giving land, the state has to give an advance. It does not make sense,” he told a press conference at Komtar here.

Lim said his confusion was compounded by the fact that IJM also owed the state RM24.1 million for payment of the 132ha land, which is supposed to be settled only after the state had given the advance of RM33.18 million.

“I don’t understand why they can’t settle both payments by contra,” he said when asked to comment on the non-payment by IJM to the state.

Lim said he needed to get more information from state government officers.

He noted that the state was supposed to give the RM33.18 million in stages over over five years from 2005.

Meanwhile, on MCA vice-president Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai’s call for Gerakan and MCA to merge, Lim said such a merger would only be cosmetic if the policies of the Barisan Nasional (BN) did not change.

“The problem is not Gerakan or MCA, the problem is the BN.” he said.

He also noted Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon’s statement that 60% of the party’s members were inclined to leave the BN.

“If 60% of the members want to the leave, why are they still stuck in the BN?” he asked.

“If they want a leader who doesn’t listen to their views, I wish them luck!," he added.