Sungai Acheh Assemblyman Mahmud Zakaria said a written reply from Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng (DAP-Air Putih) claimed the new hires were “honest, competent and trustworthy”.

“So are you saying that the previous company directors, such as Kebun Bunga (Cheah Kah Peng) and Bukit Tengah (Ong Chin Wen) are not trustworthy enough for you?

“Are you questioning the reps who are representing Penang and your Pakatan Harapan?” Mahmud said today in his debate thanking the Yang di-Pertua Negeri for his opening address.

No members from the Pakatan Harapan government responded to Mahmud’s query.

The chief minister was not present at the time.

Cheah, who was present in the house, did not utter a word.

Ong and Cheah were stripped of their sGLC directorships after abstaining from voting on an Umno-mooted reclamation motion at the last state assembly sitting.

They were replaced with DAP lawmakers from Negeri Sembilan and Selangor.

Lim, in his written reply to Mahmud, said the appointments to sGLCs were based on qualifications and trust of the state government.

“We wanted to get directors who can grow and contribute to the GLC and also get a different perspective from an outsider, to improve the organisation.

“GLC directors in this state are not exclusive to Penangites, but also outsiders. The practice is common in other state GLCs as well.

“The same goes with Penang GLCs. They also include directors who are not from Penang,” he said in his written reply.

The Penang Government had previously said the removal of the two PKR assemblymen from the sGLCs was similar to how former Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim was removed in 2014.

Lim’s political secretary Wong Hon Wai had then said Khalid had said one thing during a meeting and acted the other way after that.

“DAP respected PKR’s decision to sack Khalid then and did not start a war of words with PKR,” Wong said.