Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has expressed shock that private developers from Penang are facing unusual delay for the approval of their licences and advertising permits from the federal government.

Lim said the revelations by Penang Real Estate Development and Housing Association (Rehda) chairperson Jerry Chan showed that local developers were “discriminated against” by Putrajaya.

He said this should not be the case as developers in other states can get their approvals from the Urban Well-being, Housing and Local Government ministry within two weeks as per the normal procedures.

“Is it because Penang is a non-BN state? There is only one CM like me and again, this is an attempt to bully Penang,” Lim ( left ) said, when asked to comment about the matter in a press conference today.

“We hope the housing minister will stop bullying Penang just because it is the only state that is different,” he added.

Chan had said that the delay started in August and is holding developers back from marketing, launching and collecting booking fees for their units.

He added that Rehda was told the ministry will look into the applications and the delay was due to Penang being “special”.

Lim urged Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to issue a directive to Housing Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan to do his part to speed up the approvals.

He added that the delayed approvals involved the private sector which is the engine of economic growth.

“Why are they punishing the private sector when they fulfill all the requirements?

“It is completely irresponsible, illogical, unreasonable and silly.

“It shows that you allow politics of revenge to prevail over over national and economic interests,” Lim said.

Lim said the ministry’s act smacks of double standards and could be challenged in court, but he added he would leave it to the private developers to do that.

‘Behave like a government for all’

He urged the federal government to behave like a government for all and not act to please only one sector.

Asked if Penang can help to address the issue, Lim said he would obtain more details on the matter from Rehda before considering further action.

“This type of approach has no class. What is so special about Penang when the applications are routine?” Lim asked.

“It is wrong and an abuse of power,” he quipped.

Lim said he hopes that Penang’s query over several federal agencies’ housing projects has nothing to do with the delays.

He added that Penang is willing to approve affordable projects by the federal agencies, but not luxurious ones which cost RM1.8 million per unit as the latter is not supposed to profit from these.

“Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face because if you want to punish Penang, you also punish yourself,” Lim said.

Housing Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan ( left ) was not available for comment.

However in an Umno meeting in Kepala Batas on Aug 30, Abdul Rahman had said that about 10,000 approvals for housing by federal agencies have been held back by Penang.

This is because the approvals are now done by the state planning committee headed by Lim, instead of the local government.

Lim added if this "political game" were to continue and if the housing minister were to do it as well – to look into every approval for occupancy certificates which are done by the fire department as well as every petty detail of the applications - there would be much delay in developing Penang.

'Penang developers' licence stalled by gov't'

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