The status of Komtar - Penang’s administrative centre - on whether it has been sold or not is still in dispute as state Gerakan leaders continue to press for the “truth” about a parcel of land on which the building stands.

haze in penang 150805 komtar tower Penang Gerakan Youth chief Oh Tong Keong has thrown the gauntlet  to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to reveal the entire truth about the sales of Komtar’s Phase Four land within three days.

He warned that if Lim failed to respond within the stipulated time frame, his team would “expose the truth” behind the matter.

At a press conference held at the state BN’s operation centre today, Oh said this should be done to clear the name of the previous administration.

He rejected the allegation by state executive councillor Chow Kon Yeow that the former BN government had sold the plot to the second highest bidder.

“We are giving Lim three days, until 5pm on Monday, to reveal and declassify the complete documents related to the Komtar land,” said the state BN Youth chief.

NONE “This will give Penangites a chance to witness the entire truth of the matter and not just one-sided stories provided by the state government, which includes incomplete information,” Oh ( left ) added.

Recently, Chow revealed that Komtar had already been sold by the previous government.

He based the information on records of the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) which developed Komtar, but which owned only 42.95 percent of the tower and 37.59 percent of the podium and Phase Five.

Phase Five used to be the former Prangin market, which many Penangites deem to hold sentimental value as it was one of the first markets on the island.

“Komtar was sold in the 1970s, 80s and 90s and the project should go into the Malaysia Book of Records for taking more than 40 years to complete,” quipped Chow, who is also state DAP chief.

‘DAP’s favourite tactic’

Chow had claimed that the sale of Phase One and Phase Three, initially earmarked as land for public flats during the 1970s, was “questionable”.

He also expressed suspicion that Phase Three and Phase 4A and B were not sold to the highest bidder.

To this, Oh pointed out that the DAP-led government’s “favourite tactic is to take a part of a story and alter the entire scenario” to confuse the people.

However, if a certain issue was exposed, the same leaders would “run away from the problem” instead of facing it.

“The failure to respond in three days will only strengthen the perception that Lim’s government was only good at spinning, creating and changing certain information,” Oh said.

“They would later argue a previously constructed story to fool the people and to smear the previous state government under the Gerakan-led leadership of ex-CM Koh Tsu Koon,” he added.