Lim claims Penang Government fudged GDP figures

GEORGE TOWN, Fri:

The DAP has charged that the Penang Government misled voters by declaring a 14-fold increase in the state's GDP since 1970 with a per capita income of RM14,000.

"However, the state's strategic development plan for 2001-2010 indicated that the per capita for 2005 is RM17,543. This is probably a slap in the face for the state government because it means they have failed to achieve their own target. 

"How can they then expect the people to choose and vote for them?," DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng told a Press conference at the DAP Air Puteh operations centre.

On the campaign, Lim claimed that DAP campaign workers were stopped from putting up banners in certain places, the latest incident at the Reservoir Gardens in Air Itam yesterday morning.

The party's Bukit Bendera parliamentary seat candidate Liew Chin Tong alleged that a group of men threatened harm to DAP workers who wanted to put up party banners.

Lim said it was clear that there were “hidden forces" behind the move to stop the Opposition from displaying their banners.

"Earlier, we thought the damage to our banners was due to the strong winds,” he said. "But now it seems otherwise. We cannot accept this as there are now groups out to prevent voters from participating.”