KUALA LUMPUR: Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng has been urged to retract his statement claiming that the government in the opposition states was unable to pay their staff salaries.
Pas secretary-general Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan said such open statement uttered by Lim was considered insulting, not only to the state government in the opposition states, but also to its people.
Lim issued such statement when answering question from Takiyuddin, who is an MP for Kota Bharu, on the issues pertaining East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) in Dewan Rakyat today.
Takiyudin had asked if the states government Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan could pursue the project as the Federal government could not afford to do so.
“It was not an issue when he said that the interest of RM1billion (for the project) was too high. That was a fair and reasonable answer.
“We took offence when he questioned how the three states would be able to go ahead with such big project while unable to pay their civil servants.
“Such statement had clearly confused the members of the Parliament while being insulting to the institution,” he told a press conference at the Parliament’s lobby today.
Also present were several Pas and BN leaders.
Takiyuddin said should a state government was facing financial difficulties, it was a norm to borrow from the Federal government.
“Based on his statement, it seems as if states under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) do not require any loans from the Federal government.
“Therefore, we want him to retract and apologise for making the statement, or we will make a motion to refer him to the Parliamentary Rights and Freedom Committee,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lim when met said his statement was based on the earlier statement made by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who mentioned that Kelantan state government was unable to pay their staff salaries.
“Recently, I approved an allocation for Kelantan state government to help them pay their staff salaries, although the state is an opposition state that has always been critical to the PH leaders.
“It was a fact, and I even had the approval by Prime Minister (Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad), so I do not want to say more than that.”