Opposition leader Azhar Ibrahim and 10 other BN assemblyperson staged a walkout from the Penang state assembly sitting today following their dissatisfaction with the deputy speaker.

Before the walk out happened, deputy speaker Tan Hock Leong (DAP-Machang Bubok) had ordered Azhar (BN-Penaga) to retract the words 'dua tiga kerat' (these two or three people) when debating the 2010 budget.

Azhar had used to words in referring to Malay state representatives whom he said had done nothing for the Malays in Penang.

According to Sim Tze Tsin (PKR-Pantai Jerejak), during the commotion Azhar had apparently turned to him and pointed at his (Azhar’s) bottom.

Despite Tan telling Azhar that he would be suspended from the sitting from 4pm to 5pm, Azhar refused to budge and walked out of the assembly with the 10 others in tow.

Met by reporters outside, Azhar said the decision to suspend him was unfair and it was because the state government could not handle criticisms against it.

Earlier, when debating the budget, Azhar had taken the state government to task for being rigid in land conversion matters to the point people's welfare was affected.

He cited as examples the areas of Teluk Bahang and Teluk Kumbar where land was supposed to be alienated for affordable homes to built for the lower income groups.

He said a three-star hotel was also supposed to be built in Teluk Kumbar to promote tourism and despite persistent efforts by the Penang Regional Development Authority (Perda), of which he is the chairman, it was like "banging the head into a brick wall."

He also said the state government was not doing enough to promote tourism and was only focusing on culinary matters to attract tourists when in fact Penang had much to offer.

‘Not true, Putrajaya not helping’

Meanwhile, Datuk Roslan Saidin (BN-Pinang Tunggal), when debating the budget, said the state government appeared clueless about real estate development on the island.

He said the state government was not giving priority to this sector which had the potential to lead to Penang becoming a "high income state" despite the gobal economic slowdown.

Jasmin Mohamed (BN-Sungai Dua) when debating the budget took to task Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for saying the Penang government was not getting the cooperation of the federal government to develop the state when in fact it was the other way round.

"This is not true because the federal government had channeled projects worth RM7.6 billion to Penang but what became the problem was that they could not be implemented for lack of cooperation from the state government," he said.

- Bernama