Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and his predecessor Lim Guan Eng locked horns in a fiery exchange at the state assembly on Thursday (14 May), with Chow thumping the table and telling Lim to sit down.
The outburst came during debate over the failed tender for the proposed Batu Kawan Industrial Park 2 (BKIP 2) project in Byram, after a business magazine described the aborted deal as its Turkey of the Year.
“You believe The Edge, but not your comrade. Sit down!” Chow shouted at Lim during the winding-up speech.
Lim, who was chief minister before Chow, shot back telling the sitting chief minister not to get emotional, insisting the state government should explain the facts if the report was inaccurate.
The dispute centres on an RM818mil bid submitted in 2024 by a consortium led by IJM Properties, Aspen Vision All and Mettiz Capital for the BKIP 2 project. The Penang Development Corporation (PDC), of which Chow is chairman, rejected the offer.
Chow explained that the consortium failed to meet five of nine conditions outlined in the request for proposal (RFP), and had attached conditions that would impose substantial costs on PDC.
Among the key demands was that the successful bidder construct a bridge linking the site to Batu Kawan Industrial Park. The consortium refused.
“The bridge alone would cost more than RM200mil, reducing the effective value of the RM818mil offer to about RM500mil after other costs are factored in,” Chow said.
He also rejected the consortium’s demand for the first right of refusal over adjacent land, arguing it would cede state authority over future land use.
“If the consortium had been given first right of refusal to several hundred acres next to the land, we would no longer be the government. Aspen would become the government,” he said.
Lim pressed Chow to disclose which companies participated in the latest RFP round and why the second bidding exercise did not proceed. Chow did not answer directly, saying each RFP carried different terms and conditions.
The exchange reached a boiling point when Chow declared further debate was unnecessary.
“If the people of Penang want us to accept such an offer, I must say this: sorry, cannot,” he said, repeating the apology in English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil.
Speaker Law Choo Kiang stepped in to call an end to the debate, noting Chow had already given his answer.
This is not the first chapter in the long-running saga. In 2023, PDC signed a joint development agreement with Umech Land Sdn Bhd for the RM3.5bil project, with the land valued at RM646.02mil. The deal unravelled after Sunway Berhad acquired a 70% stake in Umech Land just two days before the signing, drawing criticism over valuation and governance.
PDC is expected to open a third round of bidding for the project soon.
Source: The Star
