Difficult to get complete answers from Penang gov't, laments PKR rep
A PKR assemblyperson has lamented that it is sometimes difficult to obtain complete answers from the Penang government to questions he raises.
Jason Ong Khan Lee (PKR-Kebun Bunga) said he had asked Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow to provide a list of government-owned land in the five state districts of Penang.
"However, the answer to my question was inadequate," Ong (above) told Malaysiakini...
A PKR assemblyperson has lamented that it is sometimes difficult to obtain complete answers from the Penang government to questions he raises.
Jason Ong Khan Lee (PKR-Kebun Bunga) said he had asked Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow to provide a list of government-owned land in the five state districts of Penang.
"However, the answer to my question was inadequate," Ong (above) told Malaysiakini.
In his written reply to the State Legislative Assembly yesterday, Chow said the size of government land was difficult to determine as it covers all the land within the boundaries of a state before it is disposed of, including minerals and stones on it.
Section 5 of the 1965 National Land Code defines state land as all land within a state, including the depths of the river and sea in the districts and seaside, other than land owned, mining land, reserved land and forest land, Chow explained.
"This definition means all the land which has not be alienated is government land. There is government land in all districts, but they are used for various purposes, site offices, quarters, roads and drains, fields, and water catchment areas," he said.
"Government land can also be from land acquisition, according to the 1960 National Land Acquisition Act. The detailed list of government land is not available, due to a large number of plots and cannot be determined accurately."
The right of every Penangite
Asked why he wanted to have the list, Ong said it was the right of every Penangite to know about state land and their location locations.
Ong added it was important for residents in Penang to know about the state they live in, so as to keep tabs on the state government.
Ong said his other question, "Please provide the list of all GLCs under the state and federal governments, and the appointments of general managers or directors, in all the GLCs", was also met with inadequate reply.
"The list provided was not complete. I hope the full list of state and federal GLCs and the names of their directors will be provided before the State Legislative Assembly ends (on Nov 8)," he said.
Ong said this yesterday when debating the State Budget 2020 in the Dewan Sri Pinang. The proceedings will go on until Friday.
Asked the purpose of obtaining the list, Ong said Penangites had the right to know who are managing the GLCs.
"It is not about knowing who are the political appointees, we would like to see if the appointments are valid, even if they involve political appointments. We would like to know if the person is qualified for the job," he added.
On Oct 30, Malaysiakini reported that a study found that political appointments to GLCs continue to be a practised under Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's administration despite Pakatan Harapan's promises of reforms.
Think tank Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) senior fellow Prof Edmund Terence Gomez (photo, above) highlighted the appointments of six Harapan candidates, who lost in the last general election, as board members of four statutory bodies under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry.
This prompted Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng to remark that the appointments of Harapan politicians to GLCs only happened in a few instances, and not on the national level.
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