Penang has eradicated hardcore poverty - Guan Eng

GEORGE TOWN: Penang has become the first state in the country to eradicate hardcore poverty by arranging financial aid and economic activities for all 726 households registered under the hardcore poor category.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the initiative was successful partly because of the support of the private sector and social groups who chipped in to aggressively alleviate the hardships of the poor.

"Even though it is difficult, including facing bankruptcy, I am more willing to have the state becoming bankrupt to help the poor and be burdened than to be bankrupted by corruption," he said today.

The implementation mechanism, overseen by the Welfare Department, consists mainly of funding affected families to ensure their incomes are topped up such that they get at least RM500 every month.

The department even helped some individuals set up bank accounts to receive the funds.

Lim said checking the state's poverty rate was one of the first things that he had given priority to after Pakatan Rakyat took control of the government in March last year.

The state then took a whole year to conduct an exhaustive survey, with the help of socio-economic specialists from Universiti Sains Malaysia, to determine the exact number of hardcore poor.

Of the total number, 150 were on the island's south-west and 41 in the north-east, while 48 were in Seberang Perai Selatan, 186 in Seberang Perai Tengah, 303 in Seberang Perai Utara.

The figures are updated every three months, Lim said, adding that the state was planning to now eradicate general poverty as well, which is classified as income below RM700 a month.

Lim also said a total of RM2.2 million had been collected from the private sector, including philanthropists and charitable businesses, under an initiative called "Partners Against Poverty".

Lim said this in a ceremony to announce the successful eradication of hardcore poverty in Dewan Sri Pinang here.

He also questioned what happened to a reported RM1.1 million allocation under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry to help 22 hardcore poor in Penang.

Penang Health, Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh rebuked Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen for rejecting the state’s plea for funding to build a housing complex for about 300 homeless people.

Ng reportedly said the state should fund the complex by itself since the project was its own initiative.

"I was shocked to hear her response," said Phee, adding that the 12 acre land in Seberang Perai Selatan was transferred to the federal government by the state.

"If you give us the funds, we can build houses for 300 families and a place where they can be trained and equipped with working skills," he said.

Phee said if Ng did not have full details about the land and project, the state was willing to furnish her with the information and take her on a tour of the site. (TheSun)

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Guan Eng thanks Najib for money, then asks where it will come from

KUALA LUMPUR, - Like many other Pakatan Rakyat leaders, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng welcomed the new stimulus deal, with a great deal of scepticism thrown in.

The Penang Chief Minister thanked Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for setting aside RM250 million to expand the state's international airport.

But he wants the federal government to pump in an additional RM11.5 billion into 21 state projects he described as "critical" to boost economic growth, such as the proposed RM500 million halal hub in Balik Pulau and Batu Kawan; RM200 million loan for its Heritage Rehabilitation Plan in Georgetown as a Unesco-recognised World Heritage Site; and RM1.1 billion to expand the Mengkuang Dam.

"The reality is if Penang fails, Malaysia will fail because 30 per cent of the total export and tourists originate from and visit Penang," Lim, who is also Bagan MP, said in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Lim's biggest beef with the stimulus concerned the RM60 billion figure. "Where is the RM60 million coming from?" he asked.

"How does the RM10 billion equity investment benefit ordinary workers?" he added.

He claimed that the RM10 billion would be used as a "rescue package for certain crony companies" and pointed to last year's RM5 billion loan from the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) to ValueCap to support his statement.

He concluded his speech by offering to work together with the federal government to face the economic crisis if it prioritised the public.

"What we want to see is direct assistance to the rakyat, not only focusing on companies. Look at Taiwan and Singapore which gave RM8.5 billion or RM400 spending money in cash to each citizen. Not a sen was for ordinary Malaysians," said Lim. (tmi)

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Guan Eng blames Chedet for Karpal uproar - Malaysiakini

GEORGE TOWN: DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has blamed former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for the uproar over Karpal Singh’s plan to sue the Sultan of Perak.

He said Karpal Singh, who is DAP chairman, was merely stating a matter of law that the Sultan could be taken to court.

Lim said it was Dr Mahathir who was behind the 1993 constitutional amendment that allowed Rulers to be stripped of their immunity from prosecution.

“If we look at history, the person who made this law is from Umno. If you want to place blame, then blame the Umno person who is responsible for the deed,” he told reporters before receiving a courtesy call from the Penang Bar Committee at his office in Komtar yesterday.

In Petaling Jaya, Karpal Singh said there was no legal basis to banish him from Perak.

“I firmly stand by my opinion that the Sultan of Perak can be sued in court in his official capacity for having dismissed the Pakatan state government,” he said in a statement.

He said under the Banishment Act, 1959 (Act 79), he could not be banished from any states in the Federation of Malaysia because it is an Act relating to the banishment and expulsion from Malaysia of persons other than citizens. (TheStar)

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Only Anwar knows the BN defactors list - Guan Eng

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has held the list of Barisan Nasional MPs allegedly "crossing over" to the Pakatan Rakyat so close to his chest that even the DAP has not been privy to it.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser had also not revealed the list to Pas leaders.

"I have not seen the list and in my meeting with Anwar on Tuesday night, he told me that he has not shown the list to any Pakatan Rakyat leaders," he told a press conference at party headquarters yesterday.

Lim said the DAP still trusted Anwar despite the failure to reveal the list. According to him, Anwar had said that PR leaders would be shown the list at the right time.

Lim also suggested that Anwar be the '916' spokesman making him the only person allowed to make statements and comments on the progress of the "crossover".
(916 stands for Sept 16, Anwar's original crossover deadline. The figure has since been adopted by the Chinese press as a term for Anwar's plans of taking over the federal government via defections from the Barisan Nasional.)

"I think it is better to let Anwar do all the talking. There should not be too many people talking about this issue. Otherwise it will create confusion, undermining the credibility of Anwar," he added.

Lim said he had informed Anwar of the suggestion that he be made the official 916 spokesman.

On Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said's plan to spend RM18 million on a Web TV project, he described it as a waste of government funds.

Lim also introduced new staff to the press -- Teh Chi-Chang, former Citigroup Investment Research director, who will be Lim's new economic adviser and Leong Joo Ti, his strategic implementation and execution manager.

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