Penang CM defends RM2b hospital investment
GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government has defended a RM2 billion investment for a private hospital which has been criticised by several quarters as the facility sits on state land leased to the company.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said his government was not in the business of selling land, pointing out his administration sold 42.9ha of land for RM1.11 billion since 2008.
He contrasted the figure to the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) government which he said sold 1,481ha of land for RM1.05 billion from the early 1990s to 2008.
“We sold land less than 36 times but we got more money,” he said at a press conference yesterday and pointed out the investment will create 2,000 job opportunities.
On criticism that there was no open tender for the transaction, Lim likened such investments to multinationals coming into the state to invest.
“Here, we negotiated directly to secure the investment,” he said and added the land would not be transferred to the hospital until the RM156 million price is fully paid.
Penang Housing, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh, meanwhile, said the present government has to date initiated 17 affordable housing projects which will deliver a total of 27,230 units, while approval has been given to the private sector to build 36,759 affordable housing units.