Excerpts from Lim Guan Eng's press conference - TheStarOnline.tv

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng says Penangites should treat the new state government as their friend. He has plans to run the state government free of the New Economic Policy by making sure all government procurements and contracts are made public.

Henti projek mega P. Pinang - Utusan

Oleh: Rokiah Abdullah

PULAU PINANG 13 Mac – UMNO Pulau Pinang meminta kerajaan Pusat menghentikan semua projek mega yang dirancang di negeri ini termasuk perkhidmatan bas RapidPenang yang telah beroperasi 31 Julai tahun lalu.

Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Azhar Ibrahim berkata, langkah tersebut perlu dilakukan bagi memberi laluan kepada kerajaan baru Pulau Pinang di bawah pimpinan DAP merencanakan projek mengikut acuan mereka sendiri.

Beliau berkata, tindakan itu juga sebagai memenuhi keinginan rakyat Pulau Pinang yang tidak mahukan kemajuan dan pembangunan yang ditawarkan kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN).

‘‘Ini bukan balas dendam. Ini tanggungjawab kerajaan negeri yang baru untuk memajukan dan membangunkan negeri ini mengikut cara mereka sendiri.

‘‘Kami akan memujuk, merayu dan meminta kepada kerajaan Pusat supaya segala projek mega di Pulau Pinang ditarik balik,” katanya.

Beliau yang juga Setiausaha Badan Perhubungan UMNO Negeri menyatakan demikian kepada pemberita selepas menghadiri Mesyuarat UMNO negeri di Menara UMNO di sini hari ini.

[More at http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2008&dt=0314&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Muka_Hadapan&pg=mh_10.htm]

DAP biadab -- Arahan pulau majlis pelantikan MB Perak dianggap hina raja Melayu - Utusan

Oleh: Herman Hamid

KUALA LUMPUR 13 Mac – DAP bertindak biadab apabila mengarahkan Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) daripada parti itu memulaukan majlis angkat sumpah pelantikan Menteri Besar di hadapan Pemangku Raja Perak, Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah yang sepatutnya berlangsung hari ini.

Beberapa pemimpin yang membidas tindakan DAP itu turut menegaskan, adalah satu penghinaan kepada institusi raja-raja Melayu jika ada mana-mana pihak yang tidak menghormati majlis tersebut yang merupakan sebahagian daripada adat istiadat Kesultanan Perak.

Ketua Pergerakan Pemuda UMNO, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein berkata, tindakan DAP melalui kenyataan yang dikeluarkan oleh Penasihatnya, Lim Kit Siang semalam merupakan sesuatu yang di luar batasan.

“DAP secara terang tidak bertanggungjawab dan tidak menghormati kedudukan kesultanan Melayu.

“Niat memulaukan istiadat pelantikan juga menunjukkan mereka hanya gilakan kuasa sehingga sanggup membelakangkan kesetiaan kepada raja dan negara,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan di sini hari ini.

DAP malam tadi mengarahkan kesemua 18 ADUN parti itu di Perak memulaukan majlis angkat sumpah jawatan Menteri Besar yang dijadualkan petang ini. Pada pilihan raya lalu, Barisan Nasional menang 28 kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri, Pas (5) dan PKR (7).

[More at http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2008&dt=0314&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Muka_Hadapan&pg=mh_01.htm]

Malaysia opposition struggling to form state governments - Reuters

By Jalil Hamid

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's opposition alliance struggled on Thursday to reach power-sharing pacts in states that fell under its control in weekend elections dubbed a "political tsunami".

The three opposition parties, which won five out of 13 states in a shock election result, are now in a post-election battle to share the spoils without stoking racial and religious tensions.

"Things are looking very, very fragile for opposition-held state governments," said Zainon Ahmad, the political editor of the local Sun newspaper. "They have difficulty in dividing the spoils of war."

First one and then another of the parties in the opposition alliance threw a fit over representation in the new Perak government, before Sultan Azlan Shah, the state's titular leader, cancelled the swearing-in ceremony on Thursday in exasperation.

The Chinese-based Democratic Action Party (DAP) on Thursday retracted an earlier threat to boycott the ceremony because the Sultan had named Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) as chief minister.

The party was initially upset since it and a third party in the alliance, the People's Justice party led by former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, won more state seats in Perak than PAS did at Saturday's elections.

[More at http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSKLR17040020080313]

Penang CM slams PM, denies stoking racial tension - Malaysiakini

By Beh Lih Yi

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has vehemently refuted Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s claim that he was stoking racial tension over the issue of dismantling the New Economy Policy (NEP) in the island state.

In a sign that could signal the start of a rocky relationship between the federal and the state governments, Lim has instead slammed Abdullah for seeking to provoke racial tensions with his allegations.

“I said we will have an open-tender system (in Penang). What’s the problem with that? Unless Abdullah doesn’t like open tenders but corruption, cronyism and inefficiency.

“I don’t understand what has it (abolishing the NEP) got to do with marginalising the Malay or the Indian community. I think he is not right, (he’s) going on the wrong facts and trying to provoke (racial) sentiment,” Lim told a press conference after witnessing the swearing-in of 10 of his state excos at the Dewan Sri Pinang today.

Yesterday, Abdullah expressed his dismay over the plan by the DAP-led state government not to practise the NEP, an affirmative action policy which favours the bumiputeras.

“Do not marginalise the Malays. I want to ask Lim Guan Eng what are his plans for the Malays in Penang. What are his plans for the Indians in Penang. What are his plans for other minority groups in Penang?” said Abdullah.

[More at http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/79783]

Lim apologises, DAP reps to attend ceremony - Malaysiakini

The crisis which developed yesterday over the appointment of a PAS menteri besar in a DAP-led Perak state assembly seemed to have been resolved today.

DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang who rejected the appointment of a PAS candidate today apologised for any offence caused to the Perak royalty over his statement.

“My three-paragraph statement at 7pm last night that the DAP central executive committee emergency meeting on March 9 had not given approval for a PAS mentri besar to head a Perak coalition state government was not made out of disrespect to the Perak sultan and regent, both whom I have always held in the highest regard and I apologise for any offence caused," he said.

“The statement was on the party position at the time. There have been further discussions and developments on the matter in the hours after the statement. Announcements of the latest position will be made.”

This was immediately followed by state DAP chairperson and Sitiawan state assemblyperson Ngeh Khoo Ham who told Malaysiakini that whatever misunderstanding that occurred over the matter has been clarified.

[More at http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/79736]