GEORGE TOWN, May 20 — Penang Gerakan Youth has called for Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow to resign if there were elements of fraud in the offer from a private company to donate two million doses of Covid-19 vaccine to the state.
Penang Gerakan Youth spokesman Mohd Aswaad Jaafar said the police must investigate and reveal the truth behind this issue.
“If really the company does not exist and it was a scam, Chow must resign as this incident has tarnished his name and the state government,” he said during a press conference after lodging a police report on the issue.
He said Chow should also lodge police reports if he believes he has been cheated by an individual named Yong Chee Kong who had offered to donate the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine to Penang, at a cost of between RM112 million and RM245 million for two million doses.
Mohd Aswaad expressed his shock over the revelation after National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NCIP) coordinating minister Khairy Jamaluddin claimed that the offer by Xintai Development Enterprise Ltd was bogus as the company did not exist.
He went on to say that Sinovac Biotech has confirmed that it did not have any dealings with the company or the person named in the letter, Yong Chee Kong.
“If what Khairy said was true, this means that the state government and Chow have been scammed, which is very serious,” he said.
He said the state government must clarify the situation now for the sake of the people of Penang.
“This issue involves more than RM100 million, and therefore, must be investigated,” he said.
Mohd Aswaad said the credibility of the chief minister and the state administration is now affected.
He also asked that the state clarify several issues.
“Why were the state government and chief minister not suspicious about the validity of the letter written by Yong, especially when it did not have an official company letterhead?” he asked.
He also asked if the state and Chow checked and verified the backgrounds of Xintai Development Enterprise Ltd and Yong before writing to the Health Ministry.
Additionally, Mohd Aswaad asked if the state and Chow contacted the Sinovac Biotech sales representative Coco Chang to verify the validity of Yong’s offer.
“Chow said this was an offer by a private company but why was he not suspicious when the payment transaction mentioned in the letter was through a personal banking account? What was the intention behind this offer?” he asked.
He also said that he hopes the state will answer the questions he had raised to allay any concerns among the public.
