The Penang Education Council (PEC), one of many funders of Arts Education (ArtsEd) - the purported publisher of the ‘My Balik Pulau’ tourism promotion booklet - has denied any role in the publication.

Speaking on behalf of the PEC, Socio-economic and Environmental Research Institute (Seri) executive director Liew Chin Tong said  the project had been carried out before March 8, 2008, but the booklet was only published last year.

pulau betong adun muhammad farid saad pc on my balik pulau newsletter 060211 01 The publishing cost was met by telecommunications firm DiGi and the now-defunct federal body known as the Penang Tourism Council, chaired by former state exco Kee Phaik Chin.

Liew, the DAP’s Bukit Bendera MP, insisted that neither the PEC nor Seri funded the booklet.

He was responding to Umno’s Pulau Betong assemblyperson Muhammad Farid Saad ( right ), who had said the booklet contains inaccurate information on the history of Balik Pulau, located at the southern tip of Penang island.

Muhammad Farid claimed that the contents insulted the predominantly Malay community of the area by implying that they were not the first inhabitants.

dap election annoucement 150307 liew chin tong Seri serves as secretariat of the PEC. The latter is chaired by Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy, and supports six NGOs promoting informal education in the state.

One of these is ArtsEd chaired by Janet Pillai.

“ArtsEd receives funding or other assistance from many organisations. The PEC, as of one of its funders, has no control whatsoever over its (activities),” said Liew ( left ).

“Seri, as the secretariat of the PEC, also has no relations with the actual work of ArtsEd.”

‘Action being considered’

At a press conference yesterday in his service centre in Balik Pulau, Muhammad Farid refused to apologise or retract his recent remarks.

He denied any intention to create racial tension among the different communities in the area, as alleged by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

He said he had no idea who had funded the booklet and that he did not want to blame anyone for the ‘factual errors’ in the booklet.

He had pointed out that the booklet carries the state government logo, but insisted that he did not say it was printed by the state government. He urged a probe into whether someone had misused the state logo.

Utusan Malaysia had quoted him last week as saying that he was not aware of the motive for publishing the booklet, but that it appears to be an attempt by 'certain quarters' to blur historical facts on Balik Pulau.

Muhammad Farid insisted that the booklet was published by the Penang Arts Education Society, an advisory council appointed by the state, the Tourism Ministry office and DiGi.

teoh beng hock group meets lim guan eng 080111 lim guan eng Lim has continued to deny any involvement of the state in the project, saying it was funded by the Tourism Ministry under the federal government.

He said the state is mulling action against Muhammad Farid for his refusal to retract his statement and to apologise.

Lim also accused the Umno leader of constantly playing with racial sentiments.

“I have been patient with him for a long time. There were many instances in the state assembly. If his approach is like this, then he is very dangerous and racist ...,” said Lim.

On Muhammad Farid distancing himself from the racist slant in Utusan Malaysia , Lim said it was still his duty to clarify the news report.

He urged Muhammad Farid not to blame the reporter when the news report had merely quoted his remarks.