‘Unlike Guan Eng, Pas has never cried for help’
KOTA BARU: Pas has reminded Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng how he cried when seeking help from the Federal Government after Penang was hit by floods last year.
Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah said Lim seemed to have forgotten the incident, which occurred when he was Penang chief minister.
Amar said unlike Lim, Pas had never “cried” for help.
“Lim cried when he called former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for help.
“We (Kelantan) have never cried when asking for help from the Federal Government.
“He (Lim) cried and that is something he must remember.”
Amar was responding to Lim’s remark in Parliament on Monday.
Lim had poured scorn on Pas’ suggestion for East Coast state governments to take the initiative to continue the East Coast Rail Link project if it was terminated.
He had asked how Kelantan would be able to do so, considering that the state was not even able to pay the salaries of its civil servants without federal help.
Yesterday, Amar alluded to Lim’s phone call to Zahid in November last year asking for help.
Amar said Lim should realise that all states in the country depended on federal funds as none could stand on their own.
“Even Selangor, a rich state, has loans from the Federal Government,” he said.
Amar said Lim had bad intentions against Kelantan and a prejudice against states ruled by Pas.
“Maybe he is anti-Islam or antiMalay.
“When he singled out Kelantan, this shows that he has sinister intentions.”
He said while there was no doubt that the Federal Government had given financial assistance to Kelantan, Lim must remember that it retained a share of the state’s funds in the form of unpaid petroleum royalty.
“The royalty amount is no less than RM700 million a year.”