Explain contradictions, Penang gov't told

Penang MCA has accused the DAP-led state government of acting 'dishonestly' and confusing Penangites by issuing contradictory statements.

State MCA Wanita chief Tan Cheng Liang was referring to the ‘scripts’ used by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and his political secretary Ng Wei Aik on the award of state government contracts.

Tan said Lim had told the people that bidders are awarded contracts through an open tender system.

However, Ng said contracts worth RM200,000 or less were directly awarded to bumiputera contractors.

"How do we know these projects have not been awarded to their cronies? Is this DAP’s so-called transparency?" queried Tan in a statement.

"As (they contradict one another in) their statements, I wonder who is speaking the truth? Apparently, there is no proper coordination between the two as they do not have a unified stand.”

Lim had told the media that, since 2008, the state government had awarded 968 projects worth RM125 million under the open tender system. Of this, 99 percent went to bumiputera contractors.

Non-bumiputeras only obtained two contracts - a maintenance project for the Penang Hill cable car (2008) worth RM700,004 and another, awarded in 2009, that was worth RM15,000.  

Tan, former Jawi assemblyperson, questioned DAP’s intent in undermining the capabilities and the competitiveness of the Chinese in Penang.

"How can the Penang Chinese swallow this - that they are not competent? Are so many of them unable to match the standards of a 19-year-old contractor who is also a college student but was awarded a RM1million project?" she alleged.

In an immediate response, Lim (left) described Tan as having gone "overboard" in levelling her allegations.

He questioned why Umno and the "Malay NGOs" it backs have not voiced dissatisfaction with MCA's ‘racist remarks’ in questioning the awarding of state projects to bumiputeras.

"MCA is calling us anti-Chinese, so why are these (Malay) NGOs keeping silent? It is because they are not genuine NGOs? ... they are BN clones, we now see their true colours," he said.

Lim was referring to NGOs like Suara Anak Anak Malaysia which has often criticised the state for marginalising the community and which has held demonstrations at Komtar to protest Lim's leadership.

"Now MCA has labelled us anti-Chinese because we are giving out contracts to Malay who are qualified. We will continue to defend this because it happens under an open tender system," he told a press conference in Penang.

"As long as the price (quotation) is right, we will award them. The cronies used to benefit before without doing any work...this is called BN's lazy economy. But in an open tender, it shows that Malays can also compete. The ones who are useless are BN contractors.”

‘No objections before’

Ng meanwhile criticised BN leaders of speaking with a "forked tongue", with Umno having accused the state of marginalising the Malays and MCA claiming that it discriminates against the Chinese.

Ng, who is Komtar assemblyperson, said this shows that BN leaders lack political capital in that they are willing to incite racial sentiments to achieve their goals.

"However, the people are bored with the lies by BN leaders who have forked tongues and who do not walk the talk," he said.

Ng said that, since Pakatan Rakyat took over the Penang government in 2008, projects above RM200,000 have been awarded to Class F contractors through an open tender system.

"All the Class F contractors are bumiputeras. Projects worth more than RM200,000 are offered to all ethnic groups through an open tender," he added.

"This policy has been welcomed by bumiputeras. MCA has not protested about this in the past.”