Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has again made his case - Malaysia can use its oil money to pay for the second bridge instead of the state government having to raise funds for the project.

The federal government does not need to borrow international funds to build the proposed second bridge across the Penang channel to link the island with the mainland.

lim kit siang dap pc 130208 guan eng It only needs to channel a little cut of 0.041 percent or RM3.5 billion from the country's annual oil revenue of 85 billion to build it for the benefit of the estimated 1.3 million people living in this northern island state.

The proposed RM3.5 billion second bridge is so imperative to the state's economic growth that Lim reiterated his call to the federal government to use the Petro-dollars to build the crucial link.

He is determined to persuade the federal government to use part the annual revenue of the country's national oil company, Petronas for it.

This topic of discussion would feature prominently when the Malacca-born chief minister meets the Penang-born Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in Putrajaya early next month.

Numerous projects

Lim demonstrated his determination to achieve his goal when he tabled facts and figures to rebut Petronas corporate planning and development division vice-president Nasarudin Md Isa's statement that the company does not fund infrastructure projects.

Lim pointed out that Petronas had financed numerous major infrastructure projects throughout the country, such as the Petronas Twin Towers, Menara Maxis, Menara ExxonMobil, a shopping centre, Suria KLCC and a five-star hotel Mandarin Oriental in Kuala Lumpur.

A 51 percent subsidiary of Petronas, KLCC Property Holdings Bhd, valued in excess of RM2.1 billion, carried out these projects.

Apart from this, Petronas, through its RM880 million investment and 40 percent stake in Putrajaya Holdings Bhd (PJH), was the key funder of the whole Putrajaya development comprising buildings, bridges and other infrastructure projects.

In March 2002, Petronas invested again to secure another 24.4 percent in PJH via a share swap valued at RM666 million bringing its total investment to RM1.56 billion for a combined 64.4 percent ruling stake.

Not the first time

"Hence it will not be the first for Petronas to play its part to fund a major infrastructure project to boost the economy growth of not only Penang but also the country," Lim told reporters at his office recently.

He would need all his persuasive skills to ignite Abdullah's Penang sentiments and induce him to construct the bridge.

Otherwise, politically it may become a bridge too far for him in the next elections.

If Lim could achieve his goal, it would be a coup to him as it would be a major booster to the state economic growth, particularly for the industrial sector.

It will also rocket up his public ratings and ensure the DAP governance of this island state beyond the next general election.

Being a non-Barisan Nasional chief minister, however, it will not be smooth sailing for Lim.

Wounded opponents, Umno leaders, who have survived the electoral trashing recently, have already pursued their vendetta to sabotage the DAP-led state government by calling on the federal government to stop all major projects, including the second bridge, in Penang.

Umno's designate state opposition leader, Penaga state assemblyperson Azhar Ibrahim justified his call to punish Penang by saying that "Penangites deserved it for turning their backs on BN."

Lim was, however, quick to remind them not to indulge in a political vendetta by punishing the people for making their choice through the ballots.

"It's the duty of the federal government to fulfill its obligations to all Malaysian irrespective of their political standings," he said.

The chief minister's call to the federal government to respect its electoral promises and respect the rights of Penangites received strong support from an unlikely source, his predecessor Dr Koh Tsu Koon.

Monorail services

Calling on Abdullah to carry out all major projects, including the monorail services, planned for the state, the former chief minister said that it was not right to punish the people.

Besides getting the Petronas funding for the second bridge, Lim plans to suggest to the federal government to fund and build an underground monorail system to improve the public transport services in Penang.

The state government wants the monorail tracks, which according to the present plan would be built on the ground, to safeguard the environment and heritage buildings.

Although it would be costly, Lim believes it would be worthy to build it and wants the federal government funds to do it.

However, he did not rule out that the state government would abandon its underground monorail proposal if it proved to be a financial burden.

"We are open about all major projects and would support any federal government project that benefits the people of Penang

"I will discuss all these with the prime minister during our meeting next month," he said.