Penang BN is not allowing Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to claim all the credit for the recent development in the state, saying that it was the effort of the coalition which has laid  a strong foundation for economic growth.

State BN chairperson Koh Tsu Koon explained that the reason for the increased investments in the state were due to the efforts and promotion of government agencies like Malaysian Industrial Development Authority (Mida) with the assistance of the federal government.

NONE Koh ( left ), who was formerly the chief minister, also took credit for some of the specific cases of investment.

For example, he said, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is in New York to announce a very important initiative with a multi-national company.

This company, he revealed, had been in Penang since the 1970s, and in the 1990s, it’s growth reached global standards.

“This is due to the various incentives by Mida. I also played a role, for example, I telephoned them... a few days ago I was also on the phone with them, and I have asked them to bring more investment to Penang,” he told a press conference in Penang today.

Koh said the the BN was previously “too shy” to show off its efforts. Now, however, it feels it needs to explain the real situation to the people.

                                

This is not merely to gain credit for BN, he added, but to tell the people that it was not easy to attract investment, unless it is with the cooperation of various sectors.

He stressed the unfairness of being accused of being Penang’s chief minister of 18 years that saw scarce development within the state.

“It is not fair at all for those who had been working very hard for Penang, for example, the engineers, who had managed to turn the state from a labour-intensive workforce to one that is high-tech,” he said.

“Let’s be fair - to say we had gone backwards, is totally unfair and not the reality.

“We would feel it even if we suffered a recession for 18 months, so to say that nothing has happened for 18 years, (that) we would have backslided to the backwaters, which is not the case,” he added.

Barrage of criticisms

Koh said he was issuing the clarification to reply to the many criticisms that have been levelled against him and the BN, adding that this was the Pakatan Rakyat government’s “main strategy”.

It is a wrong strategy to continue criticising the BN, he added, as there are many good examples of what the previous government had done to develop Penang prior to 2008.

“We (Penang) still maintain and have improved our competitiveness in the midst of severe competition in the global market,” he added.

Koh was speaking to reporters before chairing a meeting with BN leaders today, which will deliberate on how to analyse and explain the government’s policies and programmes to the public.

This kind of meeting, Koh said, would become more frequent, so that BN leaders and coordinators would be more effective in serving their constituencies.

He said that all policies and programmes would be based on the 1Malaysia concept.

Since Najib took over the helms of leadership, Koh added, there have been changes and transformation in various sectors.

azlan As a result, Malaysia now ranks the 10th most competitive country globally, he added.

As for transformation, Penang has seen improvements even in sectors such as crime rate, as this is part of the national initiative driven by the Government Transformation Programme through the six national key results areas.

“These are concrete transformations. Grassroots leaders must be able to convey this message and clarification to the people,” he said in the presence of BN leaders who also attended the media event.

No picnic for BN as opposition

On another matter, Koh reaffirmed BN’s commitment to the ‘politics of moderation’ and its rejection of all forms of extremism.

“In any democratic country, there is bound to be many voices, but these may not represent the BN or the government,” he said.

“We must continue to stand firm to promote moderation.”

azlan Although Koh did not mention him by name, he appeared to have been referring to Malay rights pressure group Perkasa president and Pasir Mas MP Ibrahim Ali, who recent declared his group’s readiness for a “crusade” against Christians who dared call for a Christian state.

Koh also remarked that being in the opposition in Penang has not been a picnic for the BN, which lacks experience in the role.

However, with a proper strategy, BN can actually benefit from the dual role that it plays as the opposition in the state and the government at the federal level.

“We can contribute left and right,” he quipped.

“As the opposition, we can criticise the government of the day, we also criticised when we are in BN. But there  is a need for change in strategy and mindset,” he added.

He then appealed for the public to support the BN if the people wanted a two-party system.

“In a two-party system, each component will reflect all ethnic groups in Penang,” he said.

Koh also warned Gerakan leaders against hoping to contest in the coming general election if they had not performed within their given area.

“If a BN coordinator does not perform well or is not well received by the people, he or she does not necessarily have the chance to contest in the election,” he said.

He ended the briefing with journalists by announcing Loga Bala Mohan as the new information chief for Penang BN.

Loga Bala’s task would be to publicise BN’s strategy and disseminate the coalition’s information to the ground.