Some are trying to smear my name, says ex-council official

GEORGE TOWN: A former Penang Municipal Council senior official says that politically connected parties are out to discredit him over his statements on special projects.

Khoo Boo Soon, who was the council’s acting Town Planning Department director, said the council had lost its independence and was no longer capable of protecting the interest of the people.

“Although it is designed to execute policies of the state and federal governments, the council has its own decision-making system and the authority to run its administration independently.

“But now, it seems that its policies are being dictated by the state government,” he said.

Khoo challenged council president Datuk Patahiyah Ismail to reveal the name of a special project in Teluk Kumbar which is above 76m that he had allegedly recommended.

“As acting director of the department then, it was my duty to present technical recommendations based on guidelines and relevant laws.

“As Patahiyah is the One-Stop Committee chairman, the authority to approve the projects is hers,” he said.

On the huge amount of compensation that Patahiyah said the state government had to pay, Khoo said there was compensation only if the project had begun.

“For projects that have not started, there is no need for compensation.

“There are no buyers involved here as a developer would need a valid planning permission and a building plan approval before he can get a developer’s licence and advertising permit.

“If you don’t have these, the developer cannot sell and so there will not be any buyers. What kind of compensation is involved here then?” he said.

Khoo challenged those who accused him of being corrupt to report him to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

“There is no truth to this. Let the MACC investigate. I was medically boarded out because of a ‘bone-spur’ condition.

“Politically connected parties are out to discredit me,” he said at a press conference here yesterday.

Khoo had criticised the council on Aug 3, saying it is able to reject the renewals of planning permission for special projects.

He said the Penang Island Structure Plan 2020 did not specify that such projects should be given automatic renewals.

However, Patahiyah said it would risk hefty losses if planning permissions that had been granted for special projects were revoked.