Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has once again taken the local mainstream media to task for its so-called “double standard approach” in reporting on the opposition.

Lim was asked at a press conference yesterday if the state was planning to withdraw the honorific Datuk title from a Penangite allegedly involved in a corruption scandal in Taiwan.

The chief minister fired back at the reporter, asking him why he had never asked about the Tan Sri title of Jho Low's father, Larry Low, who is allegedly involved in the 1MDB scandal.

“Is it normal protocol? Is it normal that when a person is being investigated, the conferred title is withdrawn?” Lim asked.

“If that is the case, there will be a lot of Tan Sris and Datuks involved, including Larry Low who is Jho Low's father.

“He is the one allegedly involved in transferring funds in 1MDB. Why do you never ask about that case?

“Yet, you ask about a case in Taiwan which is only under investigation and never involved our money.”

A copy of the audio recording of the press conference was made available to Malaysiakini.

The reporter who posed the question to Lim was referring to a case involving PHISON Electronics Corp in Taiwan.

The firm is reportedly being investigated for misreporting its financial accounts, a claim it has denied.

Pua Khein Seng, the firm’s chairman and chief executive officer, dubbed 'father of pen drive’ was questioned by prosecutors last Friday, according to a report in China Press.

According to the Chinese-language daily, Pua was released on a bail of NT$20 million (about RM2.5 million) and is prohibited from leaving Taiwan.

Meanwhile, Larry Low was implicated in the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) 136-page suit for allegedly being involved in the transfer of about US$500 million to US$600 million of 1MDB funds to his two children.

In the report, Jho Low had purportedly purchased several assets with funds allegedly siphoned from state investor 1MDB.

Jho Low had allegedly used bank accounts owned by his father Larry Low and brother Low Teck Szen, according to the lawsuits filed by the DOJ.

'Ask your boss'

However, Lim yesterday conceded that the reporter may have been instructed by his superiors to ask him about Pua's datukship.

“So, I am asking your boss: How come you never ask about Tan Sri Larry Low? How come you ask about this Datuk in Penang who did not even steal a single sen of our Malaysian money?” Lim asked.

“The 1MDB case involved our Malaysian money!”

Lim also reminded the reporter of another Datuk – a boss of a media firm who is also a director in 1MDB.

He asked the reporter why there was no interest in the individual, who may not be directly involved in the 1MDB financial scandal but was nevertheless still a director.

“How come you are not interested in this media boss? These are double standards.

“Please convey to your media bosses, ask them why they do not want to question this media boss who is also a Datuk?” Lim asked.