Penang govt criticised over 'doublespeak'

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GEORGE TOWN: A coalition of residents and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) here has slammed the Penang local authorities and state officials for their doublespeak when dealing with development issues on the island.

The Penang Citizens' Awareness Chant Group said people here were being fed with a whole lot of promises but nothing seems to be done with sincerity.

Its spokesman Jimmy Lim said the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) and state officials did not seem to have any sense of "responsibility, urgency or diligence" in dealing with and addressing the concerns of the people.

Topping the list of grouses that the NGOs claimed had shattered their faith was how the state government had dealt with the preservation and conservation of heritage buildings on the island.

Lim said the response by state officials after an MPPP councillor demanded for a moratorium on the demolition of buildings more than 50 years was a classic case of how the Penang administration had let the people down.

Lim said the seemingly outright rebuttal of the need to preserve heritage buildings was alarming considering the fact that Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had spoken with much conviction and commitment for preserving Pudu Jail when the historic prison was to be torn down.

"Guan Eng said that it would not happen in Penang. He said since Pudu Jail was in the Federal Territory he could not help but now things are happening in Penang... we need some clarification from the LGE (Lim Guan Eng) administration," he added.