Penang CM shoots at The Star

MCA-owned Star Publication's editorial today has displeased the Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng so badly that he has urged the paper not to follow in the footsteps of Utusan Malaysia.

The Malay language paper has come under fire of late, for its extreme views and sensationalised reporting.

Lim has urged the English language daily to correct its editorial titled 'The Pearl of the Orient needs a new polish', saying it has twisted facts about the state's economic performance.

Lim added that the state government was willing to accept criticism and will correct whatever it has done wrong, but it cannot condone factual errors in any newspaper.

He criticised the editorial, saying he was saddened by it, adding that his only conclusion is that it was written by "an MCA political leader and not by a reputable journalist".

"Opinions are free but facts are sacred," he quoted British journalist, published and politician Charles Prestwich Scott as saying in a famous 1921 essay marking the Manchester Guardian's centenary.

The paragraph slighted Lim most included the following comments:

"Another question is what significant investment, if any, state authorities can actually deliver.

"Better economic management would mean more jobs, better incomes and a higher standard of living for the people.

"Although investments have dipped everywhere, Penang's plunge of 79% in 2009 is terrible compared with the 48% national average".

Lim questioned why The Star failed to quote the latest investment figure in 2010, which earned it having the top investment portfolio in the country.

He chided the article for quoting figures in 2009, which Lim conceded was "not very good".

But this is already 2011, and the 2010 figures were excellent, he added, saying that the state government had all the proof that Penang excelled in 12 key performance areas in last year.

Highest ever

In 2010, it was revealed that Penang annual investment achievement recorded its highest ever figure, ranking top among all the states in the country.

The RM12.2 billion raked in marked a five-fold increase from a mere RM2.1 billion recorded in 2009.

Penang airport also recorded a 25 percent passenger growth rate, an increase with some 4.1 million passengers in 2010 compared with 3.3 million the year before, beating the Kuala Lumpur International Airport by 10 percent.

Meanwhile, Lim extended an invitation to the editors in The Star to take a trip to Penang where they "can see with their own eyes" the good performance of the state.

"Why doesn't The Star want to confirm that we (Penang) are the best economically managed state in the country?" he queried.

"We already have Utusan Malaysia in Malay, please do not have the same version in English," he quipped.