Lawyer Yusmadi Yusoff said this in reference to Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s directive to not approve any transfer of parcels of land in Air Itam, belonging in part to sovereign investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Yusmadi, who is former Balik Pulau MP, stressed that there is “no such thing” as absolute power.

“Legally speaking, the power lies with the Penang government. But whatever rights the government has under the law cannot be exercised arbitrarily or with unjustified reason.

“Although the state government may have many powers, the powers and the people are all protected under the Constitution and there should be no discrimination,” Yusmadi told FMT.

He also lamented Lim’s decision to openly “unwelcome” 1MDB.

“It would have been better if he asked 1MDB to submit a plan and it was evaluated accordingly rather than straight out say it is not welcomed.

“In this case, if I were 1MDB, I would just follow procedures and submit my plan accordingly.

“Under the law, there is no such thing as absolute power. It can be questioned if you can prove that the reasoning was arbitrary.”

Last week, Lim told Malay Mail Online that Penang will not approve any transfer for parcels of Air Itam land belonging in part to sovereign investment fund 1MDB.

He was quoted as saying that he had instructed the state land office to abide by the directive, due to questions surrounding the purchase of the land as 1MDB did not have 100 percent ownership of the tracts.

“1MDB must first clarify the issues tied to its purchase of the Air Itam land with the Land Office before the state government decides on whether or not to approve the transaction.

“They can take us to court for not approving any land transactions. We will gladly see them in court,” he was quoted as telling a press conference.