PETALING JAYA,Dec 28: Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong has taken another swipe at former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng over the Penang ferry issue, questioning the latter’s right to raise the matter.
The MCA president said Lim was acting as if he is sharing the leadership of the state with Chow Kon Yeow.
“Many Penangites are confused and are wondering if there are two chief ministers, with Chow Kon Yeow being the weekday chief minister while Lim Guan Eng acts as the weekend chief minister.
“The Penang chief minister recognised by the federal government is Chow Kon Yeow,” Wee said in a post on his Facebook page.
“Whatever decision about the ferry services, (Finance Minister) Tengku Zafrul Aziz and I will discuss with the real Chief Minister, CKY!”
Stating that the decision to replace Penang’s ferry services with catamaran vessels was agreed upon by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government, Wee said Lim’s sister Lim Hui Yang – who is also a senator – had also agreed with the move.
“Looks like the Lim family should call for a family meeting to standardise their views,” Wee said.
Hitting back at Lim’s claims that the federal government’s plan for the ferries ignored Penang’s heritage and history, Wee said Lim was responsible for “truly ruining” Penang’s cultural values.
“Who was the one who carried out land reclamation and destroyed the hills?,” he asked.
“Thirdly, isn’t replacing ferry services that are prone to breakdowns with catamarans a more practical move to protect the safety of Penangites and more beneficial to Penang’s travel and transport industries?”
Wee previously said old ferries will make way for “safer, faster and cheaper-to-maintain” water buses (to carry passengers) and transporters (to carry motorcycles), which are expected to arrive by mid-2022.
Yesterday, Lim said plans to cancel the iconic 126-year-old Penang ferry service at the end of the year proved that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government was in “open confrontation” with the people of Penang, adding that the effort was led by Wee.
The DAP secretary-general said that apart from the loss of the old ferries, there were several other development projects approved by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government which were cancelled by the PN administration.
This, he said, meant Penangites and their children would “never forgive” the “vindictive, vengeance politics” of MCA and Wee.
