Lim Guan Eng

Lim, who is also DAP secretary-general, said the PPC’s response to the state’s idea would be "skewed or biased" as Tan had now announced the PPC was planning to take over the operations.

He told a press conference in his office here today the state government will continue to make its submission to take over the service.

Lim also accused Tan, who is also Penang MCA Wanita chief, of not being completely honest in announcing the PPC’s plan to reassign the ferry’s operations.

Tan reportedly said on June 4 that the PPC was looking at handing over the operations to the federal government as the current operator, Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB), had been incurring severe losses. In 2008 alone, PPSB lost some RM21 million in the ferry service.

The PPC is the licensing authority for the port under the Transport Ministry, while operator PPSB is an agency of the Finance Ministry.

It was only later, after the state government had said it could take over the operations, that Tan announced on June 17 that the PPC was also interested.

"Why has she been taking us on a wild goose chase all this while?" Lim asked.

"Why didn’t she come clean at the beginning and say that the PPC was interested?" asked Lim, adding that Tan had shown a complete lack of professionalism.

"The Penang ferry is too important to let Tan Cheng Liang play games. It is part of Penang’s heritage. Do not give it to another party that does not have the devotion and care as the state government."

Lim had earlier witnessed the oath-taking of three new members - Malik Imtiaz Ghulam-Sarwar, P. Ramakrishnan and Lalitha Menon - into the Penang Pardons Board.

The board’s function is to advise the Yang di-Pertua Negri in cases where the latter can grant pardons and reprieves.

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