KOTA BARU: Pas reminded Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng about how he cried when seeking help from the federal government after Penang was hit by floods last year.
Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah said Lim seems to have forgotten about the incident which happened when the latter was Penang chief minister.
Mohd Amar said unlike Lim, Pas had never `cried` for help and Lim must remember that.
“Lim cried when he called former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for help. We (Kelantan) never cried when asking for help from the federal government.
“He cried and that is something he must remember,” he told reporters at his office here today.
Mohd Amar was responding to Lim’s remark in parliament yesterday which has sparked an uproar.
Lim had poured scorn on PAS’ suggestion for east coast state governments to take the initiative to continue the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project if it is terminated.
The Finance Minister had asked how Kelantan would be able to do so, considering that the state was unable to pay the salaries of their civil servants without federal help.
Mohd Amar responded to Lim’s remarks about Kelantan’s financial state by alluding to the latter’s phone call to Zahid last November asking for federal aid after Penang was hit by severe floods.
Lim’s plea for federal help was subsequently also raised at the Umno annual general assembly.
The then party president Datuk Seri Najib Razak had mocked Lim, saying the DAP leader was almost in tears begging Zahid for federal aid after the floods.
Mohd Amar said Lim should realise that all states in the country depended on federal funds as none could stand on its own.
“Even Selangor, a rich state, still has loans from the federal government,” he said.
Mohd Amar said it was clear Lim had bad intentions against Kelantan, and a prejudice against states ruled by PAS.
“Maybe he is anti-Islam or anti-Malay, we don’t know. All this is not supposed to happen because all records are with the National Finance Council.
“But when he singled out Kelantan, this shows he has sinister intentions,” he said.
Mohd Amar also pointed out that while there was no doubt that the federal government had given financial assistance to Kelantan, Lim must also remember that it retained a share of the state’s funds in the form of unpaid petroleum royalty.
“The royalty amount is no less than RM700 million a year,” he said, adding if the federal government can pay the royalty there will be no more issue of the state government requiring federal assistance.