10 theSun | THURSDAY APRIL 23 2009

news without borders

Penang govt told to pay

End of the line for
PIX COURTESY OF
MALCOLM WADE,
AS PRINTED IN

RM14m in land suit PENANG TRAMS,

TROLLEY BUSES
& RAILWAYS
PUBLISHED BY
GEORGE TOWN: The Penang state to a suit by Tang Hak Ju against the ARECA BOOKS.

government has been told to pay
RM14 million as part of a RM29.3
million compensation order by the
High Court in a land suit heard dur-
ing the tenure of the previous state
administration.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said
the state could not afford to pay the
RM14,678,135.50, much less the full
sum of RM29.3 million which could
total RM40 million including interest.
“We have been ordered to pay half
the compensation amount but we do
not have that kind of money,” he told
a press conference yesterday.
Lim alleged that a land scandal
under the previous administration
had resulted in the lawsuit.
“I have instructed our legal advisor
to apply to the court for an extension
of the payment due date,” he said.
On Feb 19, the High Court ord-
ered the state government to dep-
osit RM14,678,135.50 with the court
within two months of the date of the
order. The order was made pursuant
Penang chief minister, state secretary
and the state financial official over
land issues.
Lim said the state government
would have to table a Supplementary
Supply Bill at the next state legislative
assembly sitting in order to come up
with the funds to pay the deposit.
He said Minister in the Prime Min-
ister’s Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu
Koon should take responsibility for
the case as it had come about during
his tenure as Penang chief minister.
On another matter, Lim said
investigations into royalties for the
products of three quarry companies
had been completed.
State executive councillor Law
Choo Kiang, who was in charge of
the investigation, handed the report
to Lim.
He said three other investigations
into the matter had been conducted
by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Com-
mission, the Public Accounts Commit-
tee and Parti Keadilan Rakyat.
funicular railway
by Himanshu Bhatt
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
GEORGE TOWN: The century-old
Penang Hill funicular railway, includ-
ing its carriages and rail lines, is to
be dismantled under a RM40 million
redevelopment project by the Public
Works Department.
Plans have been drawn up to rep-
lace the current system with a faster
modern line connecting the base and
the top. (Hongkong has the only other
funicular railway system in Asia).
The project entails a total replace-
ment of all equipment and cables,
with extensive modification to the
tracks.
The department, in calling a A postcard image of the Penang Hill
tender exercise, has given interested At a press conference yesterday, railway just above the Lower Station.
parties just three weeks until May 11 FOPH spokesman Ahmad Chik called
to make engineering submissions. the hasty tender period “a farce and a
A source said 18 parties attended mockery” that would not produce the arrangement and invite him here to
a tender briefing by the PWD at the best results but would instead raise inspect the site, calculate the prices
hill’s Lower Station on Tuesday, most suspicions. and submit a bid,” Ahmad said.
of whom it is learnt, felt the time He suggested a period for submis- The Penang Hill Residents Asso-
allocated was too short. sions of at least 90 days. ciation was upset that stakeholders
The move has caused alarm among “In the 21 days provided, it is were not consulted.
the hill’s residents and traders, and local impossible for a contractor to contact A representative, M. Arunasalam,
non-governmental organisations un- a suitable foreign party, establish a said that although the association
der the Friends of Penang Hill (FOPH) working did not object to up-
group. grading work, it was
concerned about the
“quiet and hidden

How it came to be
manner” in which
At the prime minister had long been selected, tle me nts , Sir Laurence the new plans were
Penang State Assembly and that there was nothing wrong with it.
GEORGE TO WN : Bu ilt am id verdant the Straits
Set
Jan 1, 192 4. It car ried being executed.
dua l asc ent to a pan o- Guillemard, on ma de 4,0 21 “For those living
greenery on a gra 35,201 passengers and
nd, the Pen ang Hill on the mid-section of
BN took DAP’s Malaysian First ‘CM heading too ramic view of the isla rneys in its first year.
icu lar railwa y is one of the country’s jou stru ctio n wa s con sidered a the hill, the railway
concept: Jagdeep Singh many committees’ fun The con is their only means
most valuable heritag
e assets. feat in those days.
pt at con str uct ing a major engineering 2km alo ng hill- of transport,” he
The first att em e
IF PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak JASMIN Mohamed (BN-Sungai Dua)
de by the Pen ang The tracks ran for som to rea ch said, adding that the
wants to implement the 1Malaysia concept suc- said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng heads funicular line was ma , viaducts and a tun nel
cessfully, he should join the DAP, said Jagdeep too many committees including the one Rai lwa y Co Ltd und er the British slopes of abo ut 725 m above sea authorities should
Hil l an elevat ion also secure the
Singh Deo (DAP-Datok Keramat). on open tenders. adm inistra tion in 189 8.
colonial s and Co lin level. iter views of tourism
to Ric Fra nci ang -ba sed wr
“Since Najib was sworn in as prime minister, “What is the rationale for appoint- According Tra ms , According to Pen - industry players
ote Pen ang l wo ode n rail
he has ‘turun padang’ (gone to the ground) to ing the chief minister as chairman of Ganley who co-wr lie James, the origina
visit the people and talked about the 1Malaysia so many committees? This shows there lley Bu ses & Rai lwa ys, the system Les rat ed a two -cla ss pas senger and traders.
Tro d in a wind- cars ope h car Both the FOPH
concept. But it seems BN did not have an idea is no transparency,” he said during a ter tur bin e situ ate low er end of eac
used a wa the hill. service, with the wh o and the association
the bot tom of ss pas sen ger s
of their own and took DAP’s Malaysian First debate on a motion of thanks for the ing house at for first-cla
s faulty and reserved have called on the
concept,” he said. Penang Yang di-Pertua’s speech. The design, however, wa ieved to could get the best view. government to hold
Jagdeep Singh said the concept would not Jasmin also hit out at the state’s hard- orig ina l two car s we re bel
the old car s are now on dis-
the ses. Two of a public forum on
work as the Barisan Nasional is a coalition of core poverty eradication programme, ed up as chi cke n hou ang Mu seu m and near
have end n dec ided play at the Pen the matter.
t line wa s the ice sta tion .
race-based parties. accusing the administration of giving aid The curren gov ern - the Penang Hill pol The Penang
Set tlem ent s ee pri nci pal
Chow Kon Yeow (DAP-Padang Kota) only to “cronies”. on by the Straits The line comprises thr state assembly
said the 1Malaysia concept was similar to the At a press conference later, Lim res- nt afte r Wo rld Wa r I. The Federated – upp er, mid dle and lower
me ns
sent its senior statio all stops – Claremont
was told on Mon-
Malaysian First concept. “If the prime minister ponded to Jasmin’s question by asking Malay States Railways Joh nso n to – with five sm er day that the gov-
er Arn old R. nio t Roa d, Low
wants to use it, let him. But for the concept to be him to show proof of any wrongdoing on district engine d wit h the Station, Viaduct, Mo inly ernment is also
fam iliarise – use d ma
implemented, the BN should first have a change his part. “If he wants to make allegations, Switzerland to be and Upper Tunnel
of mindset.” show me proof. Although I head several ctr icit y-o per ate d fun icular system Tunnel and res ide nts livi ng on the pursuing a cable
ele rs
Jagdeep Singh also expressed dissatisfaction committees, I want him to know that the s late r con str uct ed under his by farme the hill . car project along
that wa mid section of st fam ous a 2.7km stretch
supervision. wa y’s mo
at Najib becoming prime minister by virtue of his PR government does not discriminate
-tra ck bra nch Perhaps the rail Eliz a- linking Penang
sin gle Qu een
being the Umno president. against race, religion, age, gender or pol- Running on a senger was Britain’s
Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya (BN-Teluk Ba- itical affiliation when making decisions, , the sys tem ope ned on Oct 21, 1923 pas her visi t to Pen ang in 1972. Hill to the Botanic
line beth II on
hang) then stood up and said that was how the especially on open tenders.” and was launch ed by the governor of Gardens.