The Penang government is not taking lightly Gerakan’s accusation that it is “insincere and unprepared” to enforce the Freedom of Information Enactment (FOI), which was implemented on Jan 1, 2015.

Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy, who is in charge of the implementation of the enactment, said: “We are definitely more sincere than Gerakan.”

“Gerakan never implemented freedom of information during its tenure as state government in Penang, prior to 2008,” Ramasamy told Malaysiakini .

He was referring to state Gerakan’s legal bureau chairman Jason Loo, who visited the FOI Department in Komtar yesterday, and found that he had to sign a statutory declaration (SD), pay an “exorbitant” fee, and was told to return later to obtain the documents he requested.

Loo had applied to view and photocopy two agreements on reclamation in Bayan Bay and Bayan Mutiara, which were inked under the Pakatan state government.

On Feb 2, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had said that these documents are open for public viewing, but those previously signed under the Gerakan-BN state government were closed due to confidentiality clauses in the agreements.

Don't make it an issue

Ramasamy criticised Loo for complaining that he had to wait for some time to obtain the two agreements from the FOI department, which is parked under the state secretariat’s office.

He said Loo must understand that the department needed seven working days to process his request.

Loo said he was asked to sign a SD before taking out copies of the agreements.

He added that the SD was not finalised yet and he had to return again to the department to sign it.

He was then asked to pay RM186 for the agreements, including RM1 for every photocopy page. He has to fork out RM10 for each annexe or attachments like maps.

Ramasamy said the signing of SD for documents leaving the department was implemented recently.

“We want to make sure that if the documents are provided to someone, it will be for his use, and not for him to distribute around,” he said.

“Loo ( photo ) should not make an issue of it as this is the intention of the state government,” he added.

Ramasamy said the state government would look into grouses that the cost of obtaining the documents is high.

He said the cost is currently within the law and people who need to obtain the documents have to pay for it.

“But the cost is something we can review if people find it too excessive,” Ramasamy added.

“Loo wants to politicise the matter, but the point is, we are giving him the documents.

“If it were Gerakan or Umno, you wouldn't have got the document in the first place,” he said.

Ramasamy said Gerakan often blames the DAP for politicising matters but “is Gerakan any different?”.

“The point is the public appreciates the FOI; of course, there is room for improvement and we will continue to make improvements,” he said.

“But don’t make a mountain out of a molehill. Gerakan should just look back at what it has done before, when it was in power.”