GEORGE TOWN – Seberang Jaya assemblyman Dr Afif Bahardin was a target of a verbal pile-on as his former Pakatan Harapan (PH) colleagues lashed out at him for more than 45 minutes during today’s state assembly sitting.
He was trying to defend his view that the federal government had helped Penang to manage the pandemic, while praising Putrajaya’s role in ensuring a high Covid-19 vaccination rate.
However, this ticked off PH lawmakers, who criticised Afif over his comments and pointed out that Putrajaya had the duty to help Penang, seeing as it was a health crisis.
Amid the verbal sparring, Deputy Speaker Datuk Amar Pritpal Abdullah (Sg Bakap-PKR) and even Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow (Padang Kota-DAP) intervened to calm the assembly down.
Later, Afif told a press conference outside that PH had misled the public here by declaring that it had met 90% of the promises made in its manifesto.
Accompanied by Mohd Yusni Mat Piah (Penaga-PAS), Afif said he was among the authors of the manifesto and he knew the matter well.
“I see it as perhaps just 60% of the manifesto promises were met. Highways and even the (undersea) tunnel have not been completed. I think the state misled people.”
He said by declaring that 90% of the manifesto was fulfilled, the state showed that it was disconnected from what is happening on the ground.
Earlier, there were two protests held outside the assembly grounds in Light Street.
One was a group of protesters from Bertam, who were opposed to the state constructing quarters for foreign workers employed in factories at Kepala Batas.
Another was a group of people opposed to a proposed housing project in Air Itam. – The Vibes, May 30, 2022
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