'Yet another BN lie about Penang gov't'
Those investing in the illegal breeding of swiftlets in the heritage enclave of Georgetown are barking up the wrong tree by protesting against the ban on their activities.
The state, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said today, had to take action against illegal breeders as this was not just a requirement of Unesco, which declared the capital city of Penang a heritage site, but also an order from the National Council on Local Government.
Those investing in the illegal breeding of swiftlets in the heritage enclave of Georgetown are barking up the wrong tree by protesting against the ban on their activities.
The state, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said today, had to take action against illegal breeders as this was not just a requirement of Unesco, which declared the capital city of Penang a heritage site, but also an order from the National Council on Local Government.
Georgetown was named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation in 2008, while the directive was issued by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin at a council meeting on Sept 2 last year.
Lim said the national council gave swiftlet operators within the inner cities of Georgetown and Malacca a three-year grace period to move out of the gazetted zones.
The swiftlet operators, who recently protested against the state government, he said, had an "ulterior motive in politicising the issue".
Their criticism, Lim said, should be directed to Muhyiddin, for the state had to comply with the directive of the National Council on Local Government.
Protesters, supported by a certain Barisan Nasional political party, are expected to organise a rally on Friday, the eve of the Sarawak election, he said.
"If these undesirable elements are indeed sincere and courageous, then protest against Muhyiddin because this is a federal directive," Lim told reporters in Penang today.
"There is a Chinese saying: do not be like a thief who calls others thieves," he added
