Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has urged Penang Island City Council’s (MBPP) Lim Mah Hui to apologise for his “lies” about council staff.

Lim urged Mah Hui, a councillor appointed under the NGO quota, to apologise to MBPP mayor Patahiyah Ismail and her secretary Ang Aing Thye for his remarks.

According to Lim, Mah Hui had allegedly claimed that MBPP’s staff had a “lackadaisical work attitude”, resulting in only one or two cars being towed per month for blocking traffic.

“I am shocked at the exposure by both Patahiyah and Ang about Mah Hui’s outrageous lies.

“Both have revealed statistics and facts that MBPP had been towing an average of 500 cars a month, and not one or two cars as claimed by Mah Hui,” Lim said in a statement.

In a public dialogue with Lim on Feb 29, Mah Hui had lambasted the MBPP enforcement team for allegedly not doing their work.

Mah Hui had suggested that the errant staff be sacked from their job, and Lim had instructed that to be carried out if the former’s claims were true.

“Clearly Mah Hui had lied, he even claimed that Ang had to practically beg the MBPP staff to work, which Ang had vehemently denied as a lie,” Lim said.

“Lying is the special preserve of BN politicians and no self-respecting NGO activist, especially one as highly-regarded as Mah Hui, should stoop so low so as to justify his motive to sack MBPP enforcement staff,” Lim added.

“Whilst Mah Hui wants more cars to be towed, he should also have some consideration for special religious festive occasions such as Thaipusam, Chinese New Year or Hari Raya or Christmas celebrations,” Lim quipped.

Lim said making the “outrageous claim” that MBPP staff just towed one or two cars a month when the actual number is 500 monthly is “grossly irresponsible and unfair” to both Patahiyah and Ang.

He urged Mah Hui to “stop his lies and argue with facts”.

Lim said Mah Hui should also stop confronting and running down MBPP with his alleged lies.

“I have instructed the mayor and MBPP officers not to accept Mah Hui’s bullying but to confront him courteously and firmly, whether in internal meetings or in the media, with facts and the truth,” Lim said.

Lim urged Mah Hui to work together with MBPP as an appointed councillor.

Lim said Mah Hui has every right to criticise but he should do so without trying to project himself as a “hero with lies” but yet refuse to take up the challenge to resolve the problem.

“My offer to him to reform the MBPP enforcement division on towing cars still stands, where he will have every power to sack errant staff and full resources to improve MBPP’s efficiency and effectiveness to his satisfaction,” Lim said.

Lim had made the same offer to Mah Hui on Feb 29, during a dialogue in Komtar but the latter had declined to accept the offer.