Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng called for the people in the Klang Valley to participate in an upcoming fun run on July 2 to counter a proposal by an Umno minister to turn the state into a federal territory.

In a press conference held at a shopping centre in Selangor today, Lim said he will lead the six-kilometre run to be held at the Central Park in Bandar Utama.

Soon after Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor proposed to make Penang a federal territory, the state government initiated the run event to galvanise support to preserve the original status of Penang.

"Our campaign in Penang has received an overwhelming public response with the participation of 16,000 people.

"We have now extended this campaign to Selangor to allow those who support us to show their love for Penang by participating in the fun run," he said.

He urged those who supported Penang's right to remain a state under the Federal Constitution to join in the run.

"We counter such devilish effort to eliminate Penang, not with hatred, but with love," he added.

However, Lim denied the run is politically motivated, claiming it is an event to defend the constitutional right of Penang.

In addition to the run, there will be carnival spaces at the Central Park in Bandar Utama featuring Penang's well-known street food stalls. 

Registration fee for the fun run is RM25 and participation is limited to 5,000 participants. 

Meanwhile, Lim cited BN's RM500 Raya incentive compared to Penang state government's RM1,000 or three-quarters of a month bonus, as reasons why BN is a "failed government". 

"We give double of what you have offered. Now, who is the failed state ?"

"BN may not be very good at managing their finances, but they are good in corruption and telling lies.

"We make no apology for saying that BN is a failed government. Every year, they record deficit in their budget, but we record surplus every year," he said. 

The DAP secretary-general then cited the open tender process practised by the state government and the state not cutting down any of its permanent forest reserves to argue why the state government is better than BN-led governments. 

The BN strategic communications team had recently claimed that Penang is set to be a failed state, due to its increasing debts, which would further result in an increase in charges, fines, state taxes and water rates.

Lim also denied that the proposed water conservation surcharge (WCS) will be channeled to his office instead of the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP), as questioned by Penang Umno Youth chief Rafizal Abd Rahim in an Umno Online report recently. 

"This is nonsense. I don't understand his question. PBAPP is a listed company, you cannot channel the money to another body," said Lim.

"Even if the state government owned 75 percent of PBAPP's stake, the money has to first go through PBAPP before it goes to the state government," he said.