by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Penang on Wednesday, February 23, 1994:
Tsu Koon should convene a Penang State Assembly meeting to discuss the Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ project before the MPPP gives full approval for its planning application
Penang Chief Minister, Dr. Koh Tsu Koon, should convene a Penang State Assembly meeting to discuss the Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ project before the MPPP gives full approval for its planning application.
As Penang Chief Minister who is responsible for appointing Datuk Tan Gim Hwa to his second, term as MPPP President, Tsu Koon has a direct responsibility over the MPPP and must intervene to satisfy the Penang people that there had been no illegality, impropriety and disregard of the rights of the affected Midlands residents before full approval is given to the RM200 million Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ project.
Tsu Koon cannot escape responsibility for the Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ project by claiming that this is a responsibility of MPPP and has nothing to do with him.
Tsu Koon should learn from the example of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, and the Cabinet which addressed the problem about clogged drains in the various local authorities – when the Prime Minister and the Cabinet are two steps removed from this problem, as it is the State Governments which should be directing the local authorities to resolve prob¬lems like clogged drains and not the Prime Minister and the Federal Government,
If Dr. Mahathir could by-pass the State Government and intervene with the administration of local authorities by direct¬ing them to resolve the clogged drains problem, Tsu Koon should have no hesitation in doing his duty and exercising his powers to intervene in the Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ scandal.
If Tsu Koon is not prepared to do so, for whatever reason, then he is failing his oath of office as Penang Chief Minister.
As the MPPP is not an elected Council, but nominated by the Penang Chief Minister and. therefore not answerable to the ratepayers and the Penang public, Tsu Koon must be held responsi¬ble for all the improprieties, abuses of power and scandals in the MPPP, especially where he has been given advance notice.
Tsu Koon’s office, authority and leadership as Penang Chief Minister is under test and public scrutiny in his handling of the Tarnan Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ scandal
This is why Tsu Koon should issue a directive to Tan Gim Hwa that the MPPP should not give full approval for the Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ project until there is a full debate on the issue in the Penang Stats Assembly.
In this connection, Tsu Koon should tell the people of Penang the exact status of the planning application of Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ project, in the MPPP, such as, the date the MPPP development planning committee had given its approval and the changes that were made to the original planning applica¬tions.
Tsu Koon should direct the MPPP President, Tan Gim Hwa to put on public display the amended planning applications of Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’, so that the affected Midlands residents and the public can make informed representations on the application.
Tsu Koon cannot afford to hesitate in this matter, as time is of the essence, for Gim Hwa is capable of trying to pre¬empt the Penang Chief Minister from any such action by getting the full MPPP Council to immediately give approval to the Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ project – whether this week or next week.
Tsu Koon should realise that his office, authority and leadership as Penang Chief Minister is under test and public scrutiny in his handling of the Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ scandal.