GEORGE TOWN – The last day of the Penang assembly sitting this term ended with Afif Bahardin (Seberang Jaya-Bersatu) taking the state government to task over claims of achieving 90% of its 2018 election manifesto.
Afif said it is inappropriate for the state to claim such achievements as it has failed to deliver the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP), among others.
“The state government had numerous times in the past made the same mistake by claiming credit for undelivered election promises like the PTMP.”
This ticked off several backbenchers who stood up to oppose Afif’s remarks, accusing him of being bad at maths.
In his winding-up speech, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow (Padang Kota-DAP) reiterated that the state has delivered 54 of the 68-point manifesto, being unable to complete the remaining six projects as it needs the federal government’s approval, and the rest are in progress.
Last month, he said in an event that he was confident that the remaining 10% of the manifesto would be achieved under the state government’s leadership.
“Four years ago, May 9 was a sacred date where the people of Penang gave us a mandate and trust. Today, exactly four years later, the result of our joint hard work has reached 90% of the total manifesto.”
Meanwhile, the assembly also unanimously passed an amendment to the Penang Freedom of Information Enactment 2010, which allows Penangites access to information in the state government.
The amendment, tabled by Deputy Chief Minister II P. Ramasamy, will see the appointment of six people to the Appeals Board for a term of two years beginning from June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2024.
They are Wong Chiang Kiat as chairman, Datuk Seri Syed Jaafar Syed Ali as deputy chairman, and board members Datuk Ajit Singh Jessey, Datuk Muralidaran Navaratnam, Datuk Agathan Foo Tet Sin, and Regina Amalorpava Mary Aboorvasamy. – The Vibes, June 3, 2022
