Press Statement By Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng In Komtar, George Town On 9.12.2012
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s twin promises of building a monorail and 20,000 units of affordable housing only if BN wins Penang is a clear attempt to buy votes and a recognition of BN’s failure to deliver its past promises. I doubt Penang voters are impressed for two reasons.
One, such promises are within the jurisdiction of the Federal government and it is thus their public responsibility and natural duty to take care of public housing and public transport from the tax receipts collected, including from Penangites. Two, these promise are nothing new as they have been promised before, especially by former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi when he was Prime Minister during the 2006 Chinese New Year
If BN fails to fulfill and deliver its promises to build the monorail when it was in power at both the Federal and state government level in 2007, what guarantees are there that BN will deliver and fulfill its promises should it win back Penang at the next general elections. Even in building affordable homes, BN has failed to deliver its promsies dismally.
As far back as 1984, the BN government had acquired 330 acres of land in Bertam, Kepala Batas for RM5.1 million to the Defence Ministry with the promise to build housing for families of the staff of Tentera Udara di Raja Malaysia(TUDM). 28 years later such promises remain unfulfilled with an oil palm plantation instead of affordable housing, that is rented out to a crony BN company at a ridiculously low rate of RM7,000 only.
For Najib to give a conditional promise to build only if BN wins power shows he is behaving not as the Prime Minister of all Malaysians but only as Prime Minister of BN. By requiring Penangites to fix a condition that BN must win back Penang before these promises to be fulfilled shows contempt for democratic right of the people to choose their elected representative freely without threats or inducement. This is another infamous case of “You help me, I help you” uttered by Najib during the Sibu by-election that was completed rejected by Sibu voters giving DAP an upset win
Najib should learn from the Penang state government which resolved a 27 year old problem suffered by 103 families in Rumah Pangsa Mak Mandin in Butterworth yesterday. The 103 families moved into Rumah Pangsa Mak Mandin in 1985 and were promised by the previous BN state government that they will be given a low-cost housing unit as a replacement for land where they had stayed, because it would be developed by BN. Like all BN promises, this was neither fulfilled nor delivered since 1985.
Many of the 103 families had even paid up the purchase price of the low-cost houses in full. A total of RM1,160,899 was paid by many of the 103 families. Yesterday I announced yesterday that the state government would resolve the 27 year old problem by unconditionally giving them not only the 103 houses for free but would also refund in full all monies they had paid to the state government to purchase their low-cost flats.
In other words the state government did not impose a condition that the 103 families would be given houses for free and a full refund of RM1,160,899 paid only after PR had won the next general elections. Instead whether PR won or lost, the 103 families would get their house for free and a full refund of all monies paid
This is the difference between PR and BN. BN adopts the undemocratic and conditional approach of “you help me, I help you” whereas PR helps the people unconditionally as part of our duty as a people-centric government.
Further, the BN government should be ashamed of their failure to build sufficient affordable housing for Penang. Only 70 Projek Perumahan Rakyat(PPR) or low-cost house for rental will be built in Penang by Federal government, the lowest amongst all states in Malaysia.
The PR state government had even offered a prime 2 acre site in Jalan S.P. Chelliah for free to build PPR in early August this year but received no response. The state government then decided to build more 300 units of affordable housing for bumiputeras Malays by utilising the Penang Bumiputera Fund.
Can Najib only make a conditional promise of building 20,000 units of affordable housing if BN wins back Penang when the Federal government has a Budget 250 times bigger than the state government’s budget? When the state government can promise to build unconditionally 18,000 units whether PR win or lose the next general elections, should not Najib be promising not 250 times more but at least 5 times more or 100,000 units?
Lim Guan Eng
—– Mandarin Version——
槟州首席部长林冠英于2012年12月9日在乔治市发表声明：
首相送槟州人民两大礼，承诺如果国阵重掌槟州 或考虑建单轨火车（monorail），并兴建2万间可负担人民房屋，很明显地这是买票行为，也承认他们从前无法兑现诺言。
首相送槟州人民两大礼，承诺如果国阵重掌槟州 或考虑建单轨火车（monorail），并兴建2万间可负担人民房屋，很明显地这是买票行为，也承认他们从前无法兑现诺言。我认为槟州选民不会为此感到特别兴奋，原因有二：
其一、这种承诺是联邦政府的权限，他们征收了槟城人民的税收后，兴建公屋及公共交通就是他们的公共责任。其二、这些承诺都不是新的，国阵已经许过承诺，特别是前首相敦阿都拉巴达威在2007年农历新年访槟时已经说过。
如果国阵在2006年同时掌握联邦政府及州政府时，他们都无法兑现承诺兴建轻快铁，国阵要如何保证他们在来届大选赢回槟州政权时，能够讲到做到？就连在兴建可负担房屋方面，国阵也是承诺之后不了了之。
早在1984年，国阵政府已经在甲抛峇底柏淡以510万令吉收购了330英亩的土地，答应兴建陆军家属宿舍。28年后，什么可负担房屋都没有，反而有关土地被一家国阵朋党公司，以超低的租金7000令吉，租下来发展棕油园。
因此，纳吉预设条件的承诺，要等到国阵赢得政权才做，证明他不是全马人民的首相，而是国阵的首相。他这种为槟州人民设下条件才兑现诺言的做法，是对人民的民主权利、无畏无惧选出代议士的藐视。这是典型的另一宗“你帮我，我帮你”，他已经在诗巫补选时做过这种事，当时诗巫选民完全拒绝他的利诱，让行动党在补选中取胜。
纳吉应该向槟州政府看齐，我们昨天解决了一宗长达27年、影响北海麦曼珍青屋103户家庭的问题。这103户家庭在1985年迁入麦曼珍，当时前朝国阵政府答应赔偿一间廉价屋做为征地的赔偿，但是，正如国阵其它的承诺，自1985年起，一切都不了了之。
这103户家庭甚至还付钱购买廉价屋。他们共付了116万899令吉。昨天我宣布，州政府将解决这项悬挂已经的问题，无条件一屋赔一屋，而居民较早前所付还的供期，无论已缴清或未清还的，所付出的款项，州政府都将悉数退还居民。
换句话说，州政府没有对居民开条件说，等到下届民联胜出后，这103户家庭才有免费房子，并且获得总数116万899令吉的退款。不论民联下届大选是输是赢，这103户家庭已经肯定拥有一间免费房子及已缴数额的退款。
这就是民联及国阵的差别。国阵用的是不民主、开条件“你帮我，我帮你”的方工，而民联无条件地帮助人民，尽一个以民为本的政府责任。
再说，国阵政府应该对于他们无法在槟州兴建足够的可负担房屋感到羞耻。联邦政府只会在槟州兴建70个人民组屋以供出租，数量是全马最少的。
槟州民联政府已经在今年8月，拨出SP齐亚来2英亩的土地以兴建人民组屋，但是有关方面还没有反应，州政府也已经决定利用槟州土著基金为土著马来人兴建300个可负担房屋。
联邦政府的预算案是州政府的250倍，纳吉竟然只能承诺国阵重掌槟州后才能兴建2万个可负担房屋？既然州政府可以不论来届大选是输是赢，都会无条件兴建1万8000间可负担房屋，纳吉是不是应该至少兴建比州政府多5倍的房屋（不是250倍）即10万间单位？
林冠英