Lim accuses Utusan again of playing up sensitive issues

Lim accuses Utusan again of playing up sensitive issues

Posted by kasee
Monday, 17 March 2008, MT

PENANG (March 16, 2008): Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has for the second time in a week hit out at Utusan Malaysia for continuously playing up sensitive issues to create enmity between the state government and the people.

Lim had accused Utusan and the national news agency, Bernama, of "planting" words in his mouth where both had quoted him mentioning the May 13 racial riots when he announced the the use of an open tender system instead of using the New Economic Policy (NEP) after he was sworn in as Chief Minister. Bernama has since issued a public apology to Lim for misquoting him while there was no apology or correction by Utusan.

"In the interest of truthful and fair reporting, Utusan should learn from Bernama's apology to me," he said in his speech at the the opening of the DAP national leadership conference and 42nd anniversary celebrations in Red Rock Hotel.

However,Lim will no longer respond to such falsehoods but has decided to move forward to implement the people's agenda in setting up a responsible and clean government. "Despite this, the state government will not compromise but continue to persist with the policy of open tenders and be transparent with full disclosure," he said.

He quipped that the strong opposition by Penang Umno leaders toward open tenders last Friday further proved that there is a need to transform Malaysia into a healthy functioning democracy free of fear, corruption and cronyism. Also on the open tender policy, Lim said the Malay, Indian and Chinese Penang Chamber of Commerce have voiced their support of the government's efforts to promote transparency and open tender of government procurement and contracts.

Lim then told DAP elected representavies to continue being hardworking and sincere and to guard against complacency. “Just as Malaysians voted for DAP in this elections, they can easily vote the party out, should we fail to deliver,” he said.

In order to deliver to the people and to make the party more dynamic, Lim said the party needed to double up its number of members within the next four to five years. "We need to add another 100,000 members before the next general election so that DAP will become more dynamic," he said, adding that "it may be challenging but it is not impossible". “After all, was it not considered impossible for DAP to win power in Penang together with PKR?” he added with a smile.

Calling the win in Penang as the best present for the party's 42nd anniversary, Lim said there were many firsts for DAP in the recent elections. "It was a first for DAP when on nomination day, all 47 parliamentary and 102 state candidates were not disqualified and none withdrew or were bought over by teh BN," he said.

He said it was another first for DAP to surpass nearly all its targets on polling day by successfully securing 28 parliamentary seats out of the 47 and 73 state seats out of the 102. "Given this mandate by the people, it is time that DAP deliver its promises to the people so we will continue to insist that the BN government relieve the burden of the people by carrying out a RM35 billion fiscal stimulus plan by giving poor families RM6,000 a year from the Petronas profits, renegotiate the unfair highway toll contracts and the lop-sided Independent Power Producer agreements with Tenaga Nasional," he added. - THE SUN