THE Penang state assembly convened last week with hectic rounds of debates between the governing parties and the Opposition, with some rather unexpected and amusing moments. Read below for some of the instances that stood out.

• Azhar’s suspension and opposition walkout: All nine Barisan Nasional (BN) assemblymen present walked out as Opposition head Datuk Azhar Ibrahim (BN-Penaga) was ejected from the house after he appeared to have gestured towards his posterior and refusing to apologise, stating that he was innocent. Deputy Speaker Tan Hock Leong had earlier on ejected Azhar from the hall after he refused to retract the use of the word kerat (cut) which Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen said was offensive. Azhar had used the word when he said the state was not helping in the welfare of the Malays when debating on the 2010 Supply Bill. Read here and here
• Demonstrations against Penang State Government: Barisan Nasional Youth carried out a demonstration outside the Penang state assembly, citing that they were not satisfied with the state government's administration. Read here and here. Nevertheless, political parties from both sides of the divide have criticised the demonstration. Penang Gerakan chairman Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan said the party is against the "unruly and uncivilised political culture", including burning effigies of politicians or stamping on posters bearing their faces. Read here
• Land conversion controversy comes to a close: CM Lim Guan Eng again clarified that he did not mislead the assembly in August about land conversions in Penang and considered the matter closed. Read here and here
• FDI allegation again: Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya (BN-Telok Bahang) criticised the Penang state government for allegedly acting in haste to reject foreign investment to the tune of RM10 billion for fear it could not meet the potential investor's demands. "The excuse of being unable to meet the demand of making available the services of 1,000 engineers for the proposed project cannot be fathomed," he said. Read here and here. CM Lim had already previously explained this issue. Read here 

Sidetracks

• Tarian pondan: Dato' Azhar suggested that the state government should come up with new and attractive tourism products like the tarian pondan to attract tourists. Read here
• Nyanyok: The mental health of Sungai Dua assemblyman Datuk Jasmin Mohamad became a side topic as state Welfare, Health, Caring Society and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh labeled him nyanyok (senile). Jasmin had asked for the figures for the hardcore poor in Penang but Phee said the figures were already disclosed in the earlier sitting in April. Read here
• Daily gets a bum rap: Datuk Azhar, in another incident, took a swipe at a local English daily, saying the paper was not even good enough to wipe his buttocks, stating that the newspaper had made up a quote from him. Read here and here

Also in the news was the announcement that Khazanah Nasional Bhd will manage the RM20 million funds allocated for heritage in Penang. Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung stated that “the fund allocated is also meant to support activities carried out by non-governmental organisations and the private sector’’. Read here. This move was questioned by the state government, which maintained that the fund should have been directed to the state instead as the sites were part of Penang. Read here.

In related news, CM Lim took a dig at the Penang Heritage Trust for not standing up for Penang in this issue. "We demand transparency! Why is PHT -- a non-governmental-organisation (NGO) involved in heritage preservation -- not daring to stand up for the right of Penang?" he asked, during a briefing on the National Heritage Act 2005 organised by the George Town World Heritage Office. In an immediate response, the new PHT president Khoo Salma Nasution, who was also present at the briefing, clarified that the NGO is neutral. She said the organisation is willing to work with any agency so long as the money is spent on George Town to ensure that the works are being implemented so that George Town remains on the World Heritage list. Read here

Other news

• Penang properties popular among Indonesians: North Sumatran cities such as Medan and Bandar Acheh provide an alternative market for Penang properties during this global recession period. Read here
• Mah Sing to buy land in Penang: Mah Sing Group Bhd has proposed to acquire 1.352 hectares (3.38 acres) of freehold land in Georgetown, Penang, through its subsidiary Klassik Tropika Development Sdn Bhd for RM38.651 million. Read here
• No-plastic days meet resistance: The state government's decision to extend its no-plastic Mondays to three days a week from January has not gone down well with retailers and consumers here. Many retailers were unhappy with the latest ruling which they claimed was not beneficial to them. Read here
• State Govt to ‘internationalise’ annual pesta: The Pesta Pulau Pinang will be “internationalised” by the state government to attract more youths to visit the expo being held at Sungai Nibong. Read here
• Penang unable to have a Freedom of Information enactment: The Penang government is unable to pursue a new Freedom of Information (FOI) Act as it has been told by its state legal adviser that such a move comes under the ambit of the federal government. Read here
• State govt to negotiate for nine Kg Buah Pala families: The state government will negotiate on behalf of the nine families from Kg Buah Pala who had missed out on the double-storey terrace houses offered by developer Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd. Read here
  

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