Gerakan has taken a swipe at Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's show of emotion during a visit to The Lighthouse, a charity NGO that feeds the homeless, saying it was a "wayang" (drama).

State Gerakan secretary Oh Tong Keong described Lim as "an actor" when the CM shed tears upon seeing the homeless being fed by The Lighthouse volunteers last Sunday.

During the visit, Lim was so moved by the scene that he wiped the tears from his eyes, saying later in a tweet that he felt "emotional" at the moment.

Lim also handed over a cheque of RM20,000 to The Lighthouse's management, saying it is from the CM's allocation.

Photos of Lim shedding tears while wearing a black and white batik shirt were published in the newspapers and social media.

While some quarters touted Lim as a caring chief minister, his opponents wasted no time in chiding him, describing him as the best actor in town.

"Such drama by Lim cannot resolve the problems of homeless people," Oh told Malaysiakini.

"Even if Lim cried until the whole island is flooded, the problem won't be solved," Oh added.

Oh said if Lim really sympathised and wanted to help the community, he should formulate effective policies to address the issue.

Payback for Najib jibe?

Lim visited the NGO housed on Jalan Penang following a public outcry when Federal Territory Minister Tengku Adnan Mansor announced that soup kitchens would be banned from operating within two kilometres of the Lot 10 shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, and a fine for those giving alms to beggars.

Prime Minister Najib Razak ( left ) eventually intervened to stem the criticism saying he cared for the homeless, paying a visit to the homeless on the streets of KL on Wednesday and declaring that a shelter would be built for the homeless soon.

DAP however slammed the PM's act as a " publicity stunt " saying the PM has not addressed the issue for the past five years.

Oh meanwhile said he was familiar with the situation at The Lighthouse because he himself has visited the place and offered them donations.

"I know Lim probably wants to help the homeless but instead of shedding tears, it is best to formulate good policies, or have a special budget for the homeless and the poor," Oh said.

Oh said he was aware of the present low cost and middle low-cost homes being promoted by the state government, saying these are out of the reach of the homeless or poor.

He added that the state can also help the poor and homeless further by getting them jobs in the state's recycling programmes.

"They can work as cleaners to clean the city for a cleaner, greener, healthier and safer Penang," he quipped, referring to the state's environmental tagline.

'So much for poverty eradication'

Meanwhile, Oh questioned the state government's hardcore poverty eradication policy where the minimum household monthly income was raised to RM770, RM7 shy of the RM763 poverty line per month.

Households earning under the poverty line will be provided monthly financial aid to top up their income to RM770.

While presenting the state's budget in 2009, Lim said the state government has managed to do away with hardcore poverty six years ahead of its target.

Oh ( right ) however asked, "If this policy was effective, how come there are homeless people then?".

The Lighthouse, which is managed by the Catholic Church, provides 150 packets of food to the poor and homeless on a daily basis.

"We wish to do more for the homeless but we cannot, because we are not the government now," Oh lamented.

Asked what the Gerakan-led Penang government had done to address the issue in their decades of rule in the state prior to 2008, Oh said there were several policies.

"Most importantly, we had housing for the poor where one could rent and own the units, perhaps in 25 years," he said.

He gave a list of such housing projects in Jalan Noordin, where the rental is RM32.50 per month, Kedah Road (RM147), Taman Manggis (RM100), River Road (RM100), Rifle Range (RM90-100) and Taman Free School (RM80).

The Penang government under Pakatan Rakyat had also initiated a hire-purchase housing scheme, where in March this year, 51 buyers were selected to own low-cost units at Taman Seruling Emas in Seberang Perai.

Costing RM25,000 a unit, tenants are asked to pay RM120 per month for 15 years.

The state has also been promoting its affordable housing projects in Jalan SP Chelliah, in George Town and Batu Kawan, in Seberang Perai Selatan.