GEORGE TOWN: Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's lame attempt at inciting fear among Penangites, warning them that they will lose their rights and face a darker future if Barisan Nasional (BN) comes into power in the state, will fail tremendously.
Parti Cinta Malaysia vice-president Datuk Huan Cheng Guan said Lim's recent fearmongering statement was irresponsible, malicious and done in bad faith to create friction between the people of Penang and the BN-led federal government.
Huan pointed out that Lim is afraid of losing Penang, not because he loves the state and its people, but because he fears that once BN takes over, all his scandals involving multi-billion ringgit land sales, mega development projects involving big tycoons, and the tunnel scandal, will be exposed.
"This, in turn, will make (Lim) vulnerable to investigations and also prosecution. In order (to prevent this from happening), he is lying to the people of Penang, (saying) that once BN takes over the state, the people will 'face a darker future'.
"This is a lie just to protect him and his cronies," Huan said today.
He said not only is Lim afraid of BN taking over Penang, he worries that someone in the DAP will replace him as Chief Minister.
"Once this happens, all the scandals involving him will be exposed by the various factions in DAP, to bring him and DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang down.
"To ensure this does not happen, Lim, until today, has not relinquished his position as the Chief Minister, (even though) he has been charged in court with two counts of corruption and using his position for personal gratification," he added.
Huan stressed that everybody in this country knows that Penang is a haven for corruption, involving state leaders and business tycoons.
"This was evident when a 74-year-old Datuk Seri and his 47-year-old Datuk son, who are close to certain leaders in the DAP-led state government, were remanded by the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). The duo is allegedly involved in the sale of land in Penang, without going through the correct procedures as required by law.
"Lim knows his time is up. He knows that Penang DAP members do not support him anymore.
"The people are also starting to lose faith in the state government," he said, noting that the cost of living has skyrocketed, and housing prices on the island have become untenable.
This, he stressed, has burdened the people of Penang tremendously, especially the younger generation.
"Knowing that he cannot defend his weak and incompetent leadership, Lim now tries to attack the BN-led federal government and instils fear into Penangites to reject BN.
"However, his irresponsible attempt will fail," Huan added.
Yesterday, Lim said that Penangites will lose their rights and face a darker future if BN succeeds in defeating the Pakatan Harapan state administration in the next general election.
He was responding to a “series of articles in Malay newspapers” suggesting that his party is heading towards a downfall, and that BN will win Penang back.