BN to take action if Guan Eng has misled assembly

2009/11/09

GEORGE TOWN: Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng can be referred to the state assembly's privileges committee if he is found to have misled the house over land conversions in Penang.

Teluk Bahang assemblyman Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya said if it was true that Lim had lied to the house, Barisan Nasional would have him referred to the privileges committee.

"But we must first establish if he had indeed lied or did not know his facts.

"Hopefully, he is not lying as this is a serious offence.

"If he had lied, then he may be subjected to action from the house through the privileges committee," he said here yesterday.

Dr Hilmi was commenting on claims that a piece of leasehold land fronting the sea had been converted to freehold and that Lim had remained silent on the matter.

The issue had stirred a debate on the state government's claims of transparency.

Pulau Betong assemblyman Muhammad Farid Saad had recently claimed that Lim had misled the state assembly during its August sitting in saying there had been no change in land status between April last year and June this year.

However, documents show- ed that Lim's administration had given PDC Heritage Hotel Sdn Bhd the nod to convert a 1.4ha leasehold plot of seafront land to freehold in June, two months before the assembly's sitting.

On a related matter, Dr Hilmi wanted Lim to explain the Auditor-General's Report that stated Penang had gained an increase in income following land conversions in Balik Pulau, the Seberang Prai Tengah and Seberang Prai Utara districts respectively.

"I want to know which plots of land in Balik Pulau had been converted.

"This is because Balik Pulau is a very sensitive area as most of the land is considered agricultural land," Dr Hilmi added.