Guan Eng lauds PM's pledge on mega-projects
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has lauded Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi over the latter’s assurance that all major projects by the federal government would continue as planned.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has lauded Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi over the latter’s assurance that all major projects by the federal government would continue as planned.
Lim said Abdullah has made the right decision and shown that he was a prime minister for all Malaysians.
"I welcome the prime minister's decision to proceed with all the projects planned in line with his responsibilities as the prime minister, not only for Umno or Barisan Nasional (BN), but for all Malaysians, including for people who did not support BN (in the March 8 general election)," said Lim, according to Bernama today.
Lim was responding to a question on Abdullah’s assurance yesterday that there will be no cancellation of government projects already approved by the federal government.
"These are federal government projects. The powers of the federal government covers all the states in Malaysia. We'll implement what we've promised as it's our responsibility to all the states.
"I will not withdraw them, but will instead ensure their smooth implementation," Abdullah told Bernama TV in an interview yesterday.
Spillover effect
Such projects include the second Penang bridge and a monorail project which are part of the federal government initiated Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP). Penang is part of the Norther Corridor Economic Region (NCER) launched by Abdullah late last year.
There has been speculation that the federal government might cancel projects in Kedah, Kelantan, Penang, Perak and Selangor after opposition parties wrested control of the five states in the recently concluded general election.
In welcoming the prime minister’s assurance, Lim said Penang’s unimpeded growth was important for the nation’s economy as a whole.
"If Penang develops, Malaysia will also prosper. If Penang regresses, Malaysia too will follow suit," he warned.
Bernama also quoted Lim urging Abdullah to advise Umno Penang not to "topple" the new state government and respect the wishes of the voters in the recent general election.
The new Penang state assembly would have Umno as the sole opposition party. The party has 15 seats while other Barisan Nasional component parties were trounced in all seats contested.
