Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Koh Tsu Koon said today that that Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had failed to present a clear and accurate picture in Parliament on the number of conservation projects being carried out in the state.

Lim had earlier asked the Information, Communication and Culture Ministry to explain why there were only nine conservation projects being carried out in Penang compared to 49 in Malacca.

lim guan eng koh tsu koon penang land scandal issue 220409 koh tsu koon Koh (right) , the former chief minister, who was speaking at media conference at the parliament lobby, said that Lim was not giving the full picture to the House because he had gone beyond the scope of the 9th Malaysia plan and had ignored the work done earlier by the federal government.

This gave the impression that only Malacca was being given emphasis.

Earlier in Parliament, the Information, Communication and Culture Ministry denied Lim's claims and said that there were only 24 conservation projects in Malacca and seven in Penang.

Replying to Lim, Deputy Information, Communication and Culture Minister Heng Seai Kie said that Malacca had more historical monuments and they were 300 years older than those in Penang.

Lim had also wanted to know what the future plans the department had for Penang in terms of conservation projects and the allocation set aside for them.

Under the 9th Malaysia Plan, Heng said, a total of eight projects were allocated to Penang that amounted to RM4.49 million.

He also explained that although there were fewer conservation projects in Penang, the funds allocated for the state for each individual project was much higher than the ones in Malacca.

He said that the allocations also depended on the individual state's request.