GEORGE TOWN, March 2 — Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng should be grateful to the previous Barisan Nasional state government for having laid a solid economic foundation that has made Penang attractive to investments over the years.

Penang BN executive secretary Azizi Safar said Lim would not be able to boast about the 109 per cent leap in investments last year if not for the hard work done by the previous administration.

He said Lim should be thankful to former chief minister the late Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu for building a solid industrial base since the 1970s for the sustainable growth of the electronic and electrical sector.

“If not for the BN efforts, the chief minister would not be boasting about the state investments today,”  he said.

Azizi was commenting on Lim’s recent announcement that the state recorded RM8.16 billion in investments last year, which was a 109 per cent leap from the previous year’s RM3.91 billion.

Lim said Penang was the third most invested state during the year after Johor and Sarawak.

Of the RM8.16 billion, RM5.1 billion came from foreign direct investments. The bulk of the investments was in the electronic and electrical sector while some were in biomedical sector.

Lim said the investments showed  Penang was a strong player in the E&E sector’s supply chain.

He also said that Penang enjoyed RM40 billion in investments under the Pakatan Rakyat government between 2008 and 2013, higher than the RM21 billion under BN rule between 2002 and 2007.

Azizi took a swipe at Lim for his about-turn in praising the Malaysian Investment Development Authority for its efforts in wooing investors to Penang.

He recalled that a few months ago, Lim had criticised Mida of sabotaging Penang by diverting investors to other states.

“As a chief minister, Lim should forge closer ties with Mida to woo investors for the betterment of Penang instead of making unwarranted rants for political mileage,” he said.