Jahara debating the motion of thanks to the Yang di-Pertua Negri’s opening address at the Penang State Assembly.

STATE Opposition leader Datuk Jahara Hamid (BN-Teluk Air Tawar) has taken the Penang government to task over the lease of prime state land along Peel Avenue.

She questioned why the project to build a “medical city” was senyap-senyap (quietly) given to Island Hospital and in a short time.

“Land zoned for government development changed to mixed development in the last State Planning Committee (SPC) meeting, all fast tracked.

“The design plan has been submitted and might be approved instantly whereas the planning application for people’s housing that was submitted by Federal agencies like Perda will see a thousand and one reasons to be delayed and rejected,” she said.

Jahara added that the interest of the people must be taken seriously as 30,000 units of people’s housing will be developed by Federal agencies.

“Aren’t these important? Sabotaj, diskriminasi, pilih kasih dan manipulasi kuasa kelas pertama! (This is sabotage, discrimination, biasness and manipulation of first class power!)” she claimed.

R.S.N Rayer (DAP-Seri Delima) stood up to interject, asking Jahara to show proof if she has any.

“These are accusations. If there is proof, show it,” he said.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had revealed the Island Medical City project would be the first medical tourism hub of its kind in Malaysia.

He had reportedly said the prime state land was leased to Island Hospital without an open tender because it was treated as a foreign direct investment in a high-value industry.

Lim further explained that this was a RM2bil investment to build a medical city.

The state, he said, gave Island Hospital a 99-year lease on the land for RM156mil, of which RM30mil had been paid.

Jahara claimed that there were “too many” unanswered questions, adding that once again, the credibility and transparency of the state government has been questioned.

“Janganlah nak tegakkan benang yang basah! (Do not uphold the wet threads!).

“The chief minister had said the new announcement was made because ‘it became an issue of contention’ and because it was ‘subject to a non-disclosure agreement’.

“He also said Penang was the only state in Malaysia that practiced open tender as a whole!

“So why was the investment for the hospital categorised the same as multinational companies that come to invest in this state? Why categorise it as a multinational company?,” she questioned when debating the motion of thanks to Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas’ opening address at the state assembly yesterday.

Jahara claimed that the project was a large-scale investment aimed at increasing convenience not to the medium and low rakyat but to those with high income and to foreigners.

Lim during lunch break said the state will work with the Federal Government on this because medical tourism was within the national key economic areas of the Economic Transformation Programme.

“Even Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz stressed that medical tourism is a crucial economic activity and I’m disappointed that Jahara is against it.”

Lim then showed reporters a letter from the state Valuation and Property Services Department dated Oct 13, 2015, showing the 99-year lease value of RM156.4mil was based on freehold valuation.

He stressed that the lease value recommended by the department was RM148.6mil, but the state had gotten the freehold price while giving only a leasehold.

Meanwhile, Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association (Rehda) Penang welcomed the Island Medical City project which is good for the state’s economy and at the same time offers an effective way to create employment.

“In order to maintain or enhance the state’s lead as the premier healthcare hub of Malaysia, the project should be received with open arms.

“We are confident that medical tourism activities will subsequently improve the property sector whereby the patients’ families, medical personnel will look for houses to buy,” the association said in a statement.

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