Koh wants Lim to fulfill his promise to residents

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon wants Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to meet the promise he made to the residents of Kampung Buah Pala in Penang.

He said Lim must find his own solution to the problem because he and his party, the DAP, had promised the residents there that if the opposition succeeded in taking over the administration of Penang from the Barisan Nasional (BN), the residents would not have to move out.

“I just want to clarify, whoever makes the promise, he must find the ultimate way to fulfill the promise.

“It is not fair because I’m not the one who makes the promises, why do I have to find the solutions? Be fair!” he told reporters at the Senate lobby, here today.

He said the issue must be resolved by the appropriate person and he was not the one who should solve the problem.

“Lots of people give them support especially the Indian community there before and during the election, and why when they win, they want to turn around?” Koh said.

Koh also said that he was not angry with Lim but regretted the attitude of the state government under his leadership which was not determined to fulfill the promise made to the residents of the village in the general election last year.

The Kampung Buah Pala crisis started when the residents had to move out after the Federal Court dismissed their appeal to remain on the land which they had occupied for so long to enable the developers to proceed with their project.

However, the residents refused to move out and pleaded with the state government to help them in resolving the problem.

The problem came to a deadlock when the Penang government under Lim’s leadership admitted that it could not afford to take over the land in the village from a cooperative and the developer to enable the 23 families affected to continue living there as the cost was exorbitant, and sought federal government help.

However yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the federal government would not interfere in the issue as the matter had to be tackled and resolved by the Penang state government.