NEW CHIEF MINISTER FOR PENANG? WRITING ON THE WALL FOR KON YEOW AS FED-UP GUAN ENG REVEALS SHARP FALL IN STATE FINANCES

NEW CM FOR PENANG? WRITING ON THE WALL FOR KON YEOW AS FED-UP GUAN ENG REVEALS SHARP FALL IN STATE FINANCES

Written by Stan Lee, PoliticsNow! 

KUALA LUMPUR (politicsnowmy) - In a move seen as unusual to the DAP's 'zip lips' political culture, its chairman Lim Guan Eng publicly denounced his party mate and successor in Penang, Chow Kon Yeow, after the state's coffers plummeted by a whopping RM825 million in just four years.

The criticism from Guan Eng, who was the Penang Chief Minister until he quit to join the federal government as Finance Minister in 2019, will not be taken lightly by Penangites, who still respect him for the bold modernization and rapid development of their state during his time as leader from 2008 to 2018.

However, it also opens the door to rivals from other political parties to take valid and credible potshots at Kon Yeow, who is seen as a weaker and less dynamic chief minister.

"The DAP-led Penang state government must be brought to task for perennially reporting financial deficits without actively finding any recourse to solve this predicament," Tan Teik Cheng, the MCA's vice president, pointed out.

"In fact, over the past few years, the Penang state government’s deficit has continued to rise, thereby forcing it to resort to state reserves to make up for the deficit. Moreover, Lim Guan Eng has highlighted that the state government’s allocation to 25 state government subsidiaries and statutory bodies has plummeted by 22%, raising concerns over Penang's actual financial situation."

SIGNS OF FINANCIAL CRISIS?

Tan Teik Cheng, the MCA's vice president

The public rebuke took place in the Penang state assembly. Guan Eng, who is assemblyman for the Air Putih constituency, had also pointed out that the Penang state government's Consolidated Fund had RM1.155 billion in 2019, but by 2023, it had dwindled to only RM330 million. 

"This means it had nosedived by RM825 million over these years which is clear evidence that Penang's finances are in a crisis. Chow Kon Yeow can no longer conceal the facts; he must publicly explain where Penang's financial problems lay and the solutions that the state government will undertake," said MCA's Tan.

Penang executive councilor Lim Siew Khim, who is also the assemblywoman for the Sungai Pinang constituency, had also revealed that due to the state government's tight financial situation, in the future, it could only focus on providing i-Sejahtera aid to those in need.

According to MCA, a long-standing political rival of the DAP's, this was further evidence that the welfare of Penangites has been compromised. 

The state government needs to adopt measures to lower expenditure and make efficient use of resources to achieve the best results. At the same time, it must also seek more allocations from the federal government without neglecting the welfare of the Penangites, Tan added. 

"The state government must find methods to tackle the insufficient income and the financial deficit it faces," said Tan.

"If the state government does not actively address this issue, it may not have the ability to assist needy people in the future."

Written by Stan Lee, PoliticsNow!

https://politicsnowmy.blogspot.com