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Guan Eng fights back against BN 'racist' lies
Published:  May 7, 2015 3:00 PM
Updated: 7:35 AM

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the state government is prepared to rebut "racist" lies, which he claimed were uttered by BN and Umno ministers and deputy ministers during the Permatang Pauh by-election.

Lim said these "lies with racial overtones" will be rebutted with facts and figures.

“Just because I am the only non-Malay chief minister in Malaysia, does not give Umno ministers the right or license to bully me by launching provocative racist attacks with lies,” Lim said.

He was referring to Deputy Prime Minister Muhyidin Yassin’s charge that the state government failed to look after bumiputera contractors.

Lim ( photo ) said the state government had revealed that since 2008, RM8.3 billion in contracts were awarded under its open competitive tender system.

He stressed that RM7.8 billion or 94% of total contracts were awarded to bumiputera contractors.

“Muhyiddin kept silent and did not dare to respond to this unrebuttable fact that 94% of state government contracts were awarded to bumi companies,” said Lim, in a statement today.

“Even the Permatang Pauh Umno candidate Suhaimi Sabudin, who is a contractor, became mute by not daring to answer the press on whether companies which he is involved had benefited or obtained state government contracts,” he added.

Following this, Lim said the state government was attacked for marginalising Islam.

He said his administration had already showed proof that allocations given by Pakatan (from 2008 to date) more than doubled compared to what was approved by the previous BN government.

The Pakatan government approved RM52.2 million in 2014, compared to RM25.5 million by BN in 2008, he stressed.

Water tariff hike was asked

Lim also cited another allegation involving Mahdzir Khalid, the Deputy Minister for Energy, Green Technology and Water, who denied that the federal government had asked for a water tariff hike.

Mahdzir said this even though National Water Services Commission had been reported in the media on April 25 as calling for a water tariff hike nation-wide, Lim added.

Similarly Works Minister Fadillah Yusof ( photo )  claimed that the federal government road grants given to Penang were not utilised fully.

Fadillah had claimed that as at March 31, only RM12.8 million was utilised out of the RM27.37 million granted for the first three months.

“Fadillah added that last year, Penang only used RM53 million out of the RM64 million granted. This is untrue and will be rebutted with facts that shows that the road grants were fully used,” Lim said.

Lim said winning and losing in by-elections is normal and part of the democratic process.

As participants in the democratic process, politicians must respect the decision of the voters, he added.

“A responsible leadership will ensure that it must win with honour and lose with dignity.

“Whether BN and Umno finally wins in Permatang Pauh, their lies, threats and racist attacks have shown that they have clearly lost both their honour and dignity,” he added.

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