SHAH ALAM, May 22 ― Penang and Selangor's exclusion from the 11th Malaysia Plan's (11MP) City Competitiveness Master Plan was done with the intention of punishing the Pakatan Rakyat state governments, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail claimed today.
She added that it was “not right” for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to make such a decision when he is supposed to have the best interests of all Malaysians at heart.
“It's not right because it's as if they are punishing the Penang government and the Selangor government.
“It's not fair that the prime minister, who runs all of malaysia, to make that decision,” she said after speaking at the Darul Ehsan Dialogue session organised by state-run research hub Institut Darul Ehsan.
She added, however, that there is still space for opposition leaders to submit recommendations to Putrajaya.
“But we can still give ideas and suggestions for them to consider,” she said.
Najib announced during the tabling of the 11MP yesterday that Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu will be developed as growth catalyst cities in order to maximise benefits for the residents and to stimulate national development.
The cities were selected based on their potential in terms of population size, Gross Domestic Product, existing major infrastructure, concentration of higher learning institutions and geographical advantage.
DAP Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari, however, said Penang's exclusion was “nothing less than a travesty” and was merely a cheap shot rooted in partisan politics as the state fit all the criteria.
