Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon today lashed out at Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce president Tan Kok Ping for accusing him of having nothing to show for his 18 years at the helm of the state government.

He then trotted a series of figures at a press conference held at party headquarters in Cheras this morning to highlight his achievements as Penang chief minister from 1990 to 2008 to counter Tan's charges made four days ago.

NONE Koh ( centre in photo ), Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, pointed out that during his tenure the state's manufacturing sector grew from RM20 billion in the 1990s to RM40 billion in 2008, thanks to the foundation laid by his predecessor the late Dr Lim Chong Eu who achieved RM4 billion in 1980s.

"Besides, Penang's economic growth rate was 9 percent in the 1990s and maintained at 7 percent after that. Penang had even recorded the lowest poverty rate of 0.2 percent in 2006, with the second lowest being Kuala Lumpur at 1 percent," he said.

Besides manufacturing, he said, major infrastructure projects were also completed by 2008, which include:

  • Airport and container port expansion, cruise centre;
  • East-Coast Highway from George Town to Batu Maung (now renamed the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway);
  • Telok Bahang Dam, PISA Stadium, Batu Kawan Stadium;
  • Queensbay, Seberang Jaya Town Centre, hospitals; and,
  • Over 100,000 units of medium, low-medium, and low-cost houses
A proud achievement of his time was Penang being listed in the Unesco World Heritage after 12 years of preparation ,finally winning approval in July 2008, he added.

"Did he see all these? Is he blind?" said Koh.

"The remarks he made had insulted the Penang people's efforts and their enterprising spirit."

Regarding Parti Kita Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng's remark that the only way for the BN to regain Penang is for Koh to step down as party president as well as from his ministerial post, the minister dismissed him as a 'political frog' not worth replying to.