By Lisa J. Ariffin
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 07, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 — Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng today accused The Star of “media lynching” after the English daily ran two front-page stories highlighting Penang’s soaring property prices and uncontrolled hillside development.
“Whilst no one disputes the rising property prices in Penang, why is it that a similar rise in property prices in [Barisan Nasional]-controlled states such as Johor and the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur has gone unnoticed and not given front-page treatment by the Star?” Lim asked today in a press statement.
Lim was responding to The Star’s front-page story today, which reported Penang residential property prices as soaring by more than 25 per cent over the last five years.
He also “unreservedly condemn the Star for false reporting against Penang yesterday with its sensational headline of ‘The Dying Hills’”, which was the title of a report criticising the state government for environmental damages and uneven spread of construction.
“The hills in Penang are not dying because the present Penang PR state government has not approved a single project above 250 feet,” Lim explained, adding the state “has the most stringent guidelines for hill slope safety development in the country”.
“Why, then, did the Star not highlight that other BN states allows development on hills above the height of 250 feet?” he asked.
Lim pointed out a total of 31 development projects had been approved by the previous BN state government on hill land above 250 feet as compared to none by the present PR state government.
“Even the 38 hill slope projects approved the last two years for heights below 250 ft, half of them are for open space and green areas without any building structures,” he said.
Lim regretted the “stringent adherence to hill slope safety guidelines has been manipulated into a political attack against PR when other states with a clearly worse record are left off the hook”.
“Hopefully those who are interested in fair play would listen with an open mind and not allow themselves to be used by the BN agenda in view of the coming general elections.”