GEORGE TOWN: The state executive council has unanimously decided that Chow Kon Yeow should initiate legal proceedings against Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce (PCCC) life honorary president Tan Sri Tan Kok Ping for his statements which humiliated and degraded the chief minister.
Chow said the decision was made at today's state exco meeting.
"The exco's decision was based on media coverage which quoted Tan, who had used words that humiliated and degraded the chief minister.
"This legal action will be managed by a lawyer for further action," he said.
During a press conference yesterday, Tan had reportedly accused Chow of being "incompetent" for evading questions about the controversial sale of land owned by the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) in Byram to UMECH Land Sdn Bhd.
Chow said what Tan had said was widely reported in print and online.
The chief minister has come under fire over the sale of the land after the PCCC raised questions on the awarding of the project through direct negotiations and why local companies were not given the opportunity in the project.
There were also questions raised that the land could have been transferred to a developer.
The PDC Board has since terminated the land sale deal.