Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng is annoyed that the MCA has continued to attack him and the Pakatan Rakyat government for allegedly not delivering on election promises to the people.

Lim, who is DAP national secretary-general, took MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek to task for criticising the state government for not converting leasehold land for low-cost houses into freehold.

Lim said the DAP did not promise to do so in their election manifesto but after Pakatan took over the state government in 2008, “We had expressed out intention to do it”.

But Article 91 in the federal constitution says that the state must discuss these matters in the National Land Council, he added.

“We have brought it up at the council, but it was not supported by BN representatives sitting on the panel,” he claimed.

“Don’t blame us and make us bear the burden of what the BN reps have done,” he stressed.

'Pakatan promises did not materialise'

According to Lim, the last council meeting was held last month, and the Penang government was told that the former did not have enough information to discuss the matter yet.

He was responding to the statement by Chua, slamming him over several huge projects pledged to Penang in the last general election but which have yet to materialise.

Chua had said in the The Star yesterday that there was talk about converting leasehold land to freehold, which affects many Penangites.

“This did not materialise as well,” he said after opening the Bukit Mertajam MCA division’s new office in Jalan Usahaniaga yesterday.

Lim urged Chua, the former health minister, to encourage his colleagues in the BN to support the proposal by Penang to convert the leasehold lands to freehold “if he is really sincere in the matter”.

“We want to do it because we want the people to have right to land ownership, for free, without paying any premium, but just settle the administration fees,” he said.

“Whose fault is this? BN reps in the council have shot down this proposal and the meetings are chaired by either the prime minister, his deputy or a minister,” he added.

“Please ask Dr Chua to urged all his BN colleagues sitting in the council to support this move,” he stressed.