Teng to Guan Eng: Don't twist and turn issue on Bayan Mutiara land

GEORGE TOWN (Feb 27): Was the sale of the Bayan Mutiara land, via negotiation or open tender? Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng should answer that question, and not twist and turn the issue, said state Barisan Nasional (BN) working committee chairman Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan.

He said Lim's statement in the news media had confused the people.

"If Lim's statement pertained to the sale of the land through open tender, why did the developer inform Bursa Malaysia that it had obtained the land via negotiation?

"As chief minister, Lim should have responded to the questions swiftly, so that the people could get a clearer picture on the land sale process," he told reporters after chairing the BN working committee meeting here on Monday.

He said Lim owed the people of Penang an explanation on the sale of the prime land to a developer.

However, he said if the state government had held on to the land, it would have been able to provide a "check and balance", in case the price of private land and property went up.

He said the Penang Development Corporation should have taken the responsibility of developing the land in Bayan Mutiara as the land belonged to the people, adding that it was to serve their needs like providing housing, business opportunities and government facilities.

The Bayan Mutiara land controversy erupted after the state government agreed to sell the 41.5ha land to private developer Ivory Properties for RM1.07 billion.

The land is deemed very valuable and strategically located as it is near the Penang Bridge, Free Trade Zone and the Penang International Airport. — Bernama