Stop BN blame game, Guan Eng told

Penang Umno says the Penang CM should be man enough to accept some blame that PR has failed to rectify the island’s many issues.

GEORGE TOWN: Penang Umno today said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng should stop blaming the previous Barisan Nasional administration whenever controversial issues popped-up pertaining to state governance.

Its chief Zainal Abidin Osman said Lim could not go on hiding behind a “blame game on BN” since Pakatan Rakyat had been governing the state for six years already.

He pointed out that Penangites rejected BN in the past two general elections as punishment of the previous administration’s mistakes.

Saying Penangites had now given PR the mandate to govern the state, it was unprofessional of Lim to continue using BN as a shield to fend off criticisms and escape responsibility and accountability.

He also accused Lim of not being man enough to admit his administration’s own shortcomings.

Zainal, who is also the state BN deputy chairman, pointed out that prior to the 2008 general election, DAP and PKR had heavily criticised the previous BN administration on 12 major issues and rallied the people to change the state government.

However he said that from BN’s observation, the issues “not only remained unresolved but had become worse.”

Among the issues were graft, cronyism, flooding and a host of other issues like housing, hillside development, traffic congestion and high parking rates among others.

At the state party liaison committee meeting that Zainal was charing today, Penang Umno also decided to fully back the state government’s application to the federal government to upgrade Penang Island’s status from current municipality to city.

“A city status for Penang Island would bring more benefits to all,” said Zainal.