KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 ― The Barisan Nasional strategic communications team accused DAP leaders today of failing to plainly address its suggestion that Penang is headed for failure and bankruptcy.

The BN team on Sunday challenged DAP, particularly Lim Guan Eng who is Penang chief minister, to clearly answer various allegations regarding the financial health of the state.

"We are disappointed that despite four top DAP leaders responding to our statement with various rhetoric and diversion, none of our questions were actually answered,” it said in a statement.

"All these questions are relevant to the future of Penang and its people ― especially in light of the recent confirmation by the state government that yearly state operating expenses have increased 500 per cent since DAP took over in 2008.”

The BN team also disagreed with Lim’s statement that Penang had only earned RM657.6 million from land sale between 2008 and 2015.

It previously accused Lim of using the sale of state land to fund his administration in an unsustainable manner.

"We are also dismayed that Lim did not want to challenge our claim that as much as RM37 billion of state land, land rights and assets have been sold or traded away since 2008 and take up our offer for us to show him our list for him to confirm or dispute,” it said.

It acknowledged that three other DAP leaders also responded ― Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P .Ramasamy, executive councillor Chow Kon Yeow, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang ― but claimed they all failed to assuage the concerns.

It also disagreed with Ramasamy’s remark that DAP has saved Penang by reducing 95 per cent of the state’s debt, saying that Putrajaya was to be thanked instead for that.

"P. Ramasamy had neglected to explain that it was the federal government who in 2011, had converted a RM655 million debt of Penang into annual lease payments over 45 years ― which means the state actually ends up paying the same RM655 million amount ― that allowed the Penang state government to boast a 95 per cent reduction in state debt,” it said.

BN has been pressing Penang on its financial health since the state government announced that it required a bridging loan from China to help fund its transport masterplan.