Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng slammed PAS today for saying that the Penang government recognises the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders.

Lim asked in a press conference today, “When did the state government recognise LGBT rights?”

He said this was another slander by PAS as the state government, as well as the Penang State Legislative Assembly, never had a meeting on the issue.

“It was an individual effort by one of the state assemblypersons - from DAP. He raised the issue of a Transgender Committee to look into the welfare of the community in the state assembly and he obtained the support of other assemblypersons,” Lim said.

He was responding to PAS Ulama Wing chief Mahfodz Mohamed (photo), who condemned the Penang government for becoming the first state that recognises LGBTs through the setting up of the transgender committee.

The Penang Transgender Committee held its first meeting on May 17, after seven years of lobbying to set it up.

Chaired by DAP Tanjung Bungah assemblyperson Teh Yee Cheu, the committee is not funded by the Penang government or by the state assembly.

The committee members are Lim Siew Kim (DAP-Sungai Pinang), Cheah Kah Peng (PKR-Kebun Bunga), Norlela Ariffin (PKR-Penanti), Lee Khai Loon (PKR-Machang Bubok), Jahara Hamid (BN-Teluk Ayer Tawar), Shariful Azhar Othman (BN-Bertam) and Muhamad Yusoff Mohd Noor (BN-Sungai Dua).

PAS' sole assemblyperson in Penang, Salleh Man, was also roped in as a member of the committee.

'Not the first time'

Lim also expressed regret that PAS was acting very much like Umno in slandering DAP and its non-Muslim leaders at the Islamic party’s muktamar that is now going on in Kelantan.

He said this was not the first time that PAS has slandered DAP, causing others to hate the party and its non-Muslim leaders, with DAP even being labelled with extremist labels like “pigs”.

“I deny all the slanderous accusations against the DAP. We condemn such hateful and extremist views,” Lim said after announcing Penang's first Digital Library, which will be launched in August this year.

He said this when asked to comment on the statement by PAS Youth chief Nik Abduh Nik Aziz that DAP provided certain PAS members with "liquor" (arak), which led to the formation of Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah).

He cited other examples where the Penang PAS Youth chief, Mohd Hafiz Alias, had slandered the DAP by saying that PAS must seize Penang to “save the Malays” because the state had sold off land belonging to the Malays.

Lim demanded that PAS shows proof that the state had sold Malay land, instead of making baseless allegations.

He added that state executive councillor Dr Afif Bahardin, who accompanied Lim at the press conference, could vouch that the Penang government had not sold off any Malay land.