Sharanjit Singh & Audrey Dermawan
New Straits Times

GEORGE TOWN, Thurs:

Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng has refuted allegations that he was stoking up racial tensions by declaring that his administration would not practise the New Economic Policy, insisting that the Prime Minister’s warning to him was based on “wrong facts about what he said regarding the NEP.”
Lim, who is just warming the chief minister’s seat after being sworn in on Tuesday, singled out Utusan Malaysia and national news agency Bernama for “putting words into his mouth” in their reports about the issue.

“They quoted me as saying things I never mentioned at all and this is not fair to me,” he said. “Even if they want to whack me, they should do it based on facts and not resort to slandering me. This is what I call ill-intentioned reporting. If I say something I will be responsible for it,” he said when asked to comment on Abdullah’s warning that Lim should not make statements that could stoke racial tension.

Speaking after the swearing in of the new Penang state executive council members at Dewan Seri Pinang here yesterday, Lim said he was baffled as to why the prime minister objected to the state government’s decision to call for open tenders.

“I called for open tenders…what is the problem in that. I don’t know how it is interpreted to mean that certain communities are going to be marginalised. In that sense he (the prime minister) is not right and he is going on wrong facts,” he said, adding the DAP-led Penang government was committed to ensure it corrected all the wrongs in the present system.
Lim cited the allocation of shares under the NEP and questioned how many Malays had benefited from it.

“Tell me how many of you got shares,” he said, pointing to reporters covering the press conference before going on to state that only a handful of people had been given shares.

He said the BN ruling coalition should say it outright if it was not happy with the new opposition-led Penang government. “If the prime minister is not happy with this new government in Penang just say so. But don’t give us warnings that we are stoking up racial tensions,” he said.

So far, Lim said Penang government had only announced that it was waiving parking and hawker license summons issued before March 11.

Lim said he suspected the federal government was probably unhappy about his decision on the Penang Global City Centre (PGCC) project and that was why the prime minister issued the warning.

Asked about the worry among Malays here that they would be marginalised and also rumours that the state government planned to tone down the call for morning prayers (Azan), Lim said: “This are all rumours…who is spreading this? I never talked about the azan at all. Who is playing up all these sentiments? I only announced cancellation of parking summons.”

Lim said he knew there were certain groups trying to whip up racial sentiments and branded them as irresponsible. “It is easy to play up this kind of sentiments. If the BN has any dignity it should do things according to facts and not just create issues and they whack us.”

State assemblyman of Ijok, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim is sworn in as the Selangor Menteri Besar.

Meanwhile, the swearing in of the new Perak Menteri Besar scheduled today is cancelled.

Bernama

PENANG, March 13 (Bernama) — Penanti state assemblyman Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin and Perai state assemblyman Dr P Ramasamy were sworn in as deputy chief ministers of Penang before Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas here today.

They received their letters of appointment and took their oath of office and oath of secrecy in a ceremony at Dewan Sri Pinang.

Mohammad Fairus, 32, Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s (PKR) National Integration Development Bureau advisor and Dr Ramasamy, 58, secretary of the DAP’s International Bureau, then signed their letters of appointment witnessed by State Secretary Datuk Jamaluddin Hassan.

Eight other state executive councillors — six from the DAP and two from PKR — also took their oath of office.

They include Padang Kota assemblyman Chow Kon Yeow, who is also DAP national vice-president and state party chief, Bagan Jermal assemblyman Lim Hock Seng, who is state DAP vice-chairman, and Bukit Tambun assemblyman Law Heng Kiang who is state DAP secretary.

The others from the DAP are its state treasurer Phee Boon Poh (Sungai Puyu), state publicity secretary Wong Hon Wai (Air Itam) and the only woman state executive councillor, Ong Kok Foi (Berapit).

The state executive councillors from PKR are Abdul Malik Kassim (Batu Maung) who is the party’s state liaison secretary and Law Choo Kiang (Bukit Tambun), who is its state information chief.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who is the Air Putih assemblyman, was sworn in as Chief Minister of the new DAP-PKR government on Tuesday after the coalition won 29 of the 40 state seats in Penang in the general election on Saturday.

The DAP won 19 seats while PKR won nine and PAS one, in Permatang Pasir.

– BERNAMA

Pasir Panjang state assemblyman, Mohamad Nizar Jamaludin from PAS will be sworn in as the Menteri Besar of Perak at 4pm today. The crisis that occurred overnight due to DAP’s rejection to the PAS assemblyman as the choice of MB is settled after all. There will be no boycott of the ceremony by DAP assemblymen as reported earlier.

Meanwhile, DAP advisor, Lim Kit Siang has issued an apology to the Sultan and Regent of Perak for any offence caused by his statement that the DAP Central Executive Committee rejected the royalty’s choice for the MB post. A statement on the matter shall be issued later.

It is also learnt that DAP’s Sitiawan state assemblyman will be appointed Deputy Menteri Besar I while an Indian who will be named later will be appointed Deputy Menteri Besar II. DAP is expected to be given 7 of the state exco positions while PKR takes 2 and PAS takes 2 (including the Menter Besar post).