GEORGE TOWN: PKR's Kebun Bunga assemblyman Cheah Kah Peng today claimed that DAP-led Penang government was only driven by political interest over the registration of eligible recipients for post-flood aid.
He said the state government's move to bar him from assisting the people to register was impractical.
"No sane government will come up with such an unintelligent move when people are in need the most,” he told reporters.
Cheah said this was the time that his constituents who were affected by the recent floods needed his assistance to register for the state aid of RM700.
He said he received an email from State Secretary Datuk Seri Farizan Darus on Nov 20, to notify that he was excluded from being involved in handling the registration .
"I did not see anyone from Air Putih (Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's constituency) or Pulau Tikus (Yap Soo Huey's constituency) coming to my area to help the affected victims even though they have claimed to have taken over the responsibility," he said.
In the email, Cheah said it was stated that the decision was made following a meeting between the state secretary and Lim.
He said he had sought clarification and replied to the e-mail with six questions to Farizan on the reason for the exclsuion.
However, he said Farizan's only response was that he was not in town.
During the just-concluded state assembly sitting, Cheah had reportedly highlighted several environmental issues which had irked other Pakatan Harapan assemblymen.
Asked if this was the reason for his exclusion, he said he wished to hear the reasons from Lim or Farizan.
"I honestly do not know. I have asked our state secretary and I hope you (reporters) can ask this as well.
"I will continue to help my constituents with the registration even though I cannot validate their application.
“No authorities can stop a democratically elected man from discharging his duty to help his constituents," he added.
In a press conference earlier, Lim said the decision to exempt Cheah was part of "internal procedure changes" to ensure the aid could be distributed effectively to all the victims.
"After discussing with the state secretary, we have decided to make adjustments in terms of internal procedure to ensure no one is left out," he said.
A 17-hour heavy downpour accompanied by freak storm on Nov 4 wrecked havoc and inundated many areas in the state.
Last week, Penang government announced a one-off RM700 aid for households affected by the floods.