The Penang opposition's query on the state's appointment of 10 coordinators in BN constituencies, labelling it as "unnecessary spending" by the state government has backfired.

State executive councillor Phee Boon Poh ( below ) said BN has placed similar coordinators in state welfare departments in every district (five) in Penang.

phee boon poh Additionally, BN members and leaders sit on the General Hospital Visitors Board, he pointed out.

"They rather play politics than accept our invitation for them to participate in state working committees," Phee told a press conference yesterday at the state legislative assembly building.

"As for the GH Hospital Visitors Board, state government officials should be placed here so that they can monitor the hospital which is under federal jurisdiction," he added.

Phee reminded his opponents that in the past (before GE13), BN had placed 29 state and 11 parliamentary coordinators in Pakatan constituencies.

These coordinators were paid by the Prime Minister's department.

The coordinators were hired despite the existence of village development and security committee members, he added.

"We thought that since it's a new term, we can try to cooperate with them (Umno reps) again but they refused," the Sungai Puyu assemblyperson said.

Umno rebuffs extended hand

"Where is the sincerity of the Umno assemblypersons when they say that appointing coordinators is ‘unnecessary spending'?".

On Tuesday, state opposition leader Jahara Hamid also questioned the need for the appointees when she and her colleagues were willing to work with state.

She added that the job of the coordinators would overlap with those of the district officers (DO), village development and security committee members (JKKK) and village heads.

NONE Phee then batted out Umno's accusation that its reps have been working hand in hand with the state government especially on welfare issues.

Since 2008, invitations have been sent to four senior Umno state representatives to be members of the state committee on welfare, only to be turned down, Phee said.

"Despite their rejection, I continue to invite them to participate in my state committee but only Muhammad Zakaria (Umno-Sungai Acheh) and Muhammad Farid Saad (Umno-Pulau Betong) responded saying they do not wish to join," he said.

"But Jahara and Roslan Saidin (Umno-Pinang Tunggal) did not reply at all to the official letters I sent," he added.

"In 2009, I spoke to former state opposition leader Azhar Ibrahim (Umno-Penaga) to collect the forms for the senior citizens annual cash (RM100) award, but he did not want to do it," Phee claimed.

"I personally asked (via sms) Hilmi Yahya (then Teluk Bahang assemblyperson) and Azhar to get the forms from us at the Caring Society Complex but they did not turn up," he said.

"They refused to register those eligible for the awards, don't expect me to go down on my knees to beg them to do so".

Phee recalled in 2010, Umno even sabotaged the state programme by declaring that the money for senior citizen cash award was haram (illegal) as they were drawn from gambling sources.

He added that during BN rule, he had merely been invited to sit in a technical committee on housing strata titles to give input but had never been offered membership in the state committees.