Penang govt questioned over drainage contribution funds

GEORGE TOWN: State Opposition leader Datuk Jahara Hamid has questioned the Penang government over the developer’s drainage contribution fund.

Jahara (BN-Teluk Air Tawar) said the money from this fund could have been used for flood mitigation projects.

“Developers were contributing RM10,000 an acre years ago but today, it’s RM50,000 an acre,” she said during an oral question at the state assembly yesterday.

Local Government Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow in response said the budget for drainage expansion was RM135mil but there was only RM95.7mil in the developer’s drainage contribution fund.

“As such, it’s not right for member from Teluk Air Tawar to say we are not using the funds as it’s being maximised,” he said.

Jahara said the state should charge the developers based on density rather than acreage as the projects on the island are mostly high-rise.

In another development, the Kedah state assembly yesterday became slightly heated after Kulim Barisan Nasional assemblyman Chua Thiong Ghee took a swipe at Datuk Siti Ashah Ghazali (PAS-Merbau Pulau) for not being able to differentiate between a Balinese figurine and a statue of Buddha.

The statue in question was actually a Balinese statue built at a theme park in Taman MBI Desaku in Padang Meha, Kulim.

During her debate session on the state budget, Siti Ashah called on the state government to demolish the “Buddha” statue, saying there should not be such statues in a residential area, as they were inappropriate and were against Islam.

Chua immediately stood up and asked Siti Ashah if she was sure that the statue she was referring to was the statue of Buddha.

Siti Ashah repeatedly said it was a statue of Buddha.

Chua said it was not a Buddha statue, but one of many statues placed there for decoration purposes.

He also questioned why there should be such intolerance in a multiracial country.