Penang Umno to recommend stopping all state mega projects

GEORGE TOWN, Thurs:

Penang Umno will recommend to the Federal Government to stop all proposed mega projects in the state, include those planned under the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER), the second Penang Bridge, the light monorail transit system, the Penang Outer Ring Road, the Penang Sentral and the RapidPenang bus service.

State Umno secretary Datuk Azhar Ibrahim said the previous Gerakan-led state government had worked together with the federal government to bring all sorts of development to Penang.

"Since the people have clearly rejected development and made their choice for a change, we will recommend to the federal government to cancel all such projects. Don’t blame us for this," he said after a state liaison committee meeting here today. In March 8 polls, Umno only won two parliamentary seats and 12 state seats.

The meeting was chaired by the deputy state Umno liaison committee chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Rashid Abdullah. Also present were Umno division chiefs from all 13 divisions.

Asked if this was Umno’s revenge, Azhar, who was appointed opposition chief, said: "This is not revenge…it is the new government's responsibility to bring development to the state. We have done so many things in the past but we were criticised…we were blamed for wasting this and wasting that.”
To another question if this would bring about any implications to the people, he said: "The people have chosen and they wanted a new leadership."

--NST