Three more PKR state assemblymen's area allocation frozen by DAP government

Gerakan vice-chairman, Oh Tong Keong said the allocations of the three representatives, namely, Machang Bubok Assemblyman Lee Khai Loon, Bukit Tengah Assemblyman Ong Chin Wen and Kebun Bungah Assemblyman Cheah Kah Peng had been frozen by the state government because they failed to attend the oath-taking ceremony of the Penang Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas on April 29. He said that the allocation should not be politicised and there are many more other methods to punish those who fail to attend an official state government function but not by freezing the allocations which rightly belonged to the people in the constituencies. "I would like to urge the Chief Minister not to freeze the allocations of the PKR state assemblymen because the allocations are for the welfare and benefit of the people of the areas concerned," he told reporters here yesterday. Last May, the PKR Penanti State Assemblyman Dr Norlela Ariffin claimed the allocation for her constituency was also frozen by the state government on the same grounds.

Oh said the state government's action was seen as wanting to take revenge against the PKR elected representatives who did not support the state government on the issue of landfills in the State Legislative Assembly. Ong and Cheah were at one time fired by the state government from state government-linked companies (GLCs) last year when they abstained during the voting on the motion on land reclamation by the Barisan Nasional during the Penang State Assembly. Efforts to obtain the confirmation of the three PKR assemblymen failed because they did not want to comment on the issue. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Rashid Hasnon, when contacted by Bernama, said the issue had been resolved after six assemblymen including those not from PKR had replied to the show-cause letters issued by the state government previously. "Six state assemblymen did not attend the inauguration last April and they have given the reason for their absence and the issue is now considered closed," he said. Rashid, who is also state PKR deputy chairman, said the state government is in the process of approving the allocations which they should have rightly received.