Gerakan secretary-general Liang Teck Meng said Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was the one who tried to defame him first in their dispute over the Penang water tariff issue.

“It is important to note that it was Lim who first tried to defame me by naming me and saying that I was signalling that the federal government wants to force Penang to raise water rates.

“Lim had pretty much indicated there was such a defamation in his press statement where the title started with ‘Liang Teck Meng should just sue me for defamation’,” he said in a statement today.

Liang also said it was strange that the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) had to come out and defend Lim.

“Can’t he take responsibility for his baseless accusations and fight his own battles?” Liang, who is also National Water Services Commission (Span) chairperson, asked.

He also added that Span had every right to question the sustainability of the water tariff increase and ask the operators to evaluate options.

“To interpret this as forcing them to raise rates is pure slander,” he said.

He also pointed out that the request to increase the water tariff in Dec 2016 was withdrawn in Feb 2017, and then later replaced with a request for a doubling of “so-called water conservation surcharge”.

The water conservation surcharge, he added, is basically an increase in water rates under another name.

He also said that based on the track record of water tariff increases since 2010, there is no guarantee that they will not re-submit their Dec 2016 request again after the next general elections.

This is because, he claimed, the water operator and the Penang government desperately needs the additional RM150 million per year in revenue.

“This is despite multiple increases in water rates since 2010,” he said.

Lim, he said, should stop diverting or hiding behind the water company, he said.

“Take up my challenge and in the name of transparency, disclose the letter to all so that the public can judge who is right and who is wrong,” he said.

Previously, Lim had accused Liang of breaching his duty in a government position to score “political points”.

He had also alleged that Liang had issued a statement under Gerakan calling the CM to reveal a letter dated Dec 23 last year from Span to PBAPP, where Liang had disclosed confidential information which was “selectively taken out of context”.