Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has expressed shock that the state opposition (BN) appears to be “ignorant” about financial matters in the state and unhappy about civil servants receiving bonuses at the end of the year.

Lim said state opposition leader Jahara Hamid seems to disagree with the allocation in Penang's Budget 2018 to pay bonuses to civil servants this year, and not next year.

“I am shocked that Jahara seems ignorant of financial matters. She is also ignorant that it is not the first time we pay bonuses in the current year and not the following year. We have done it every year since 2008,” Lim said at a press conference today.

“Why is she raising the issue now? Doesn’t she know? Is it because she is retiring that she can say anything she wants? I almost did not want to comment but I do not want to confuse people further,” he added.

Yesterday, Lim announced that 8,000 civil servants in Penang will be receiving bonuses in December this year.

Lim said RM2,000 will be paid to civil servants with no disciplinary record, while others who do not fall in this category, will be paid RM1,000 but the names must be recommended by the State secretary Farizan Darus.

He appeared to have outdone Prime Minister Najib Razak who last Friday announced RM1,500 special payments for all federal government employees to be paid out in two tranches.

Lim said the Penang government was paying the bonuses at the end of the year because "we know January is when the opening of new school terms happen and people need extra cash".

“That is why we are paying before the year ends so that our civil servants can use the much-needed cash,” he added.

“But it looks like our good intentions were not only dismissed but criticised by the state opposition. It is (as if) they have run out of capital (ideas),” he added.

Yesterday, Jahara (photo) claimed it was the first time in history that the Penang government is paying out civil servant bonus out of the following year’s budget (2018) at year-end (December 2017).

She described Lim’s budget as “populist, senseless and an election budget” ahead of the 14th general election which must be called by mid-2018.

She questioned the source of the money, and queried if the state government was being transparent about its financial sources.

Lim said usually bonuses must be paid in the current year, but if the federal government does not have enough money to pay, "that is your problem".

“But if we have the money, why not pay at the end of this year? The funds are reserved in Budget 2017 which I tabled (at the State Assembly Legislative sitting) last year,” he added.

“We have done it properly, and there is no wastage, we saved the money for this budget. If you want to pay next year, that is your wish."