Penang BN representatives were not invited to the signing ceremony of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's (MACC) anti-corruption pledge today because they have always turned down invitations by the state government, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said.

"Anyway, this is a state government event. We have always wanted them to be part of our events, but they do not want to attend.

"We will ask Speaker Law Choo Kiang to organise a special Corrupt Free + 10 pledge at the state assembly. That is not a problem. We have invited them many times, even when we gave RM40,000 allocation for their constituencies, they do not want to attend," Lim said.

He was responding to state opposition leader Jahara Hamid, who had earlier lamented that BN reps were "ostracised" by the state government, as they were not invited for the signing of the pledge with MACC this morning. 

The Telok Ayer Tawar assemblyperson (photo) also told Malaysiakini that BN representatives would have attended if the ceremony was held in the state assembly, instead of at Lim's office in Komtar. She said BN would organise a ceremony of its own since they were "sidelined" by the state government. 

Asked why BN assemblypersons did not accept the state's RM40,000 allocation, Jahara said: "It is not the money. We have to stick to our principles. 

"We also receive allocations from the federal government, so in principle, we did not accept the one given by the state," she said, adding that Lim's reason for not inviting BN reps for the ceremony was also a "lame excuse".

Through the state government's "Corrupt Free +10" pledge, Lim said, he and the state government would abide and implement anti-graft measures proposed by the MACC, plus another 10 recommendations put up by the state administration.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by MACC chief commissioner Dzulkifli Ahmad and Penang MACC chief Abdul Aziz Aban in Komtar today.

Among others, Penang's recommendations to the pledge include the public declaration of assets by the CM, state executive council members, MPs and assemblypersons, as well as the implementation of an open tender system and the prohibition of state land ownership by public officials.