Guan Eng, Chow butt heads over error apology
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yow butted heads with his predecessor Lim Guan Eng in the Penang state legislature today.
The tense but polite exchange was over an incident the day prior in which an assemblyperson had to apologise over an error from the state government side.
Summary
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yow has a tense exchange with Lim Guan Eng.
The two butt heads over whether Lim was defending an assemblyperson, who was forced to apologise over a technical error by the state government yesterday.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yow butted heads with his predecessor Lim Guan Eng in the Penang state legislature today.
The tense but polite exchange was over an incident the day prior in which an assemblyperson had to apologise over an error from the state government side.
It began with Lim (Harapan-Air Putih) pointing out that what he perceived to be a discrepancy between what Chow (above, right) had said in a written reply last May and now regarding the state government’s debts to the Penang Development Corporation (PDC).
Last year, Lim said, Chow had in the written reply stated there were no debts owed to PDC.
However, Chow said today that the state government now owes PDC RM494.4 million from the Bayan Mutiara development project.
Misleading state legislature
Lim contended that this “discrepancy” exposed Chow to the risk of being disciplined for misleading the state legislature.
He said he did not hold the chief minister responsible for this, but blamed PDC officers instead.
Hence, the DAP adviser said action must be taken to prevent a repeat of a scenario from yesterday involving Ong Ah Teong (Harapan-Batu Lanchang).
Ong yesterday was forced to issue an apology and retract his remarks after criticising state exco member Lim Siew Khim.
This is as Ong’s criticisms - regarding the operational costs of a homeless transit centre - were based on an incomplete reply erroneously uploaded by the legislature’s secretariat to a portal that can be accessed by legislators.
Lim argued today that Ong was reprimanded for something that was not his fault.
This then triggered a brief back-and-forth in which Chow repeatedly accused Lim of claiming that Ong had not made a mistake.
Lim, however, said he was merely making a comparison.
Chow then retorted that it was a “false comparison”.
The two then butted heads again when Chow said that if any PDC staff had made a mistake, then their bonuses would be withdrawn but that the organisation as a whole should not be punished.
Lim: I didn’t say that.
Chow: But I said it. It’s one thing if I didn’t say it, but I said it.
Lim and Chow have a tense relationship.
The current chief minister has insinuated in the past that his predecessor was orchestrating a move to oust him.
Lim has denied such allegations.
