Social welfare spending lifted Penang's administrative expenses, says Guan Eng

GEORGE TOWN, Nov 14 — Penang's administrative expenses have increased since 2008 due to the increase in the state's social welfare programmes, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng (DAP — Air Putih) said.

He told the state legislative assembly that the state started its social welfare programmes in 2008 such as education aid, welfare aid and others.

"In 2010, these social programmes were expanded to include contributions to senior citizens, eradicating poverty and the years that followed, we also introduced contributions to single mothers, the disabled, newborns, primary students, taxi drivers, trishaw riders, fishermen and many more," he said.

Lim said the state spent a total RM287.138 million for these social welfare programmes between 2008 and November 12, 2014.

"The allocation set aside to fund these programmes for 2015 is RM116.94 million," he said in his winding up speech today.

Penang Opposition leader Datuk Jahara Hamid (BN — Teluk Ayer Tawar) had pointed out that the state's administrative expenditure had increased by 213 per cent from RM283 million in 2008 to RM887.24 million for 2015.

Jahara had also raised concern about dwindling state land regarding the depleting state land from 12 per cent of state land area to six per cent between 2008 and 2013, Lim denied that the state had disposed of any originally state-owned land to the private sector except for lands in rural areas and residential lands in new rural areas.

Instead he explained that most of the state land stock that were held by the state government as custodian were already disposed to the government agencies to fund land acquisition costs.

Lim categorically denied the accusations that the state had relied on sale of state land to generate revenue.

"Barisan Nasional (BN) sold 35 more lands compared to the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state government at alower revenue too," he said.

He claimed BN had sold 3,661 acres of land for a total RM1.0586 billion while PR had only sold 13.1 acres for a higher return of RM1.1102 billion.

EndJahara had also raised concern about dwindling state land regarding the depleting state land from 12 per cent to six per cent between 2008 and 2013 — Reuters