It prompted Penang Gerakan to demand an explanation from her, an investigation for the state government to investigate corruption in public housing, and a challenge for Jagdeep Singh Deo, executive councillor for housing and local government, to accept responsibility and resign.
Penang Gerakan state vice-chairman I Oh Tong Keong said Siew Khim must explain the new video after having publicly denied earlier in the week that her father, Lim Keat Seong, was involved in a bribes-for-affordable homes racket.
“Today, we would like to ask Lim is the contents of this video true? If it is the truth, then why did she say she was not aware of her father’s involvement in a press conference a few days ago?” he said, and accused her of not being forthright.
Siew Khim did not respond to FMT’s queries for comment at the time of writing.
The new video, entitled “Penang Low-cost Housing corruption issue Part 2”, was posted earlier today by local political news web site Penang Kini.
It claimed that Siew Khim had known about her father’s involvement in a purported bribes-for-affordable homes racket. Her father is being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and has been placed in remand.
In the three-minute video clip, someone claiming to be a spokesman of an aggrieved customer says he contacted Siew Khim and spoke to her for nearly 10 minutes. An itemised mobile phone bill was shown in evidence, with a phone call listed as being made to Siew Khim’s mobile phone at 8.35pm on June 26 last year.
A screenshot of the spokesman asking another person for Siew Khim’s number by chat messaging was also shown, and a message at 9.08pm to the other person.
The message read: “I have called YB Lim earlier. I have given her one day to answer to me. Whether her father wants to come out to discuss how he wants to return monies to the victims. If he did not cheat people, then it is definitely not possible many had come complaining that they were cheated.”
It was also alleged that Siew Khim’s adopted brother, “Ah Hin”, had called the spokesman an “hour or two” later to say that Siew Khim had asked for a face-to-face meeting with the aggrieved parties and another unidentified person.
Earlier this week a teary-eyed Siew Khim had denied any involvement and said she was not aware of her father’s actions. Siew Khim said she was only aware after the first video had come out.
Executive councillor Jagdeep Singh Deo has denied that anyone could pay bribes to cut the queue in the public housing system.
However, Oh said the state government should conduct an investigation while Penang Gerakan anti-corruption committee head Hng Khoon Leng questioned whether the state was in a position to investigate itself.
“The question is, can they do an internal probe, when corruption is so widespread within the state government? So, how can they investigate themselves? Would Jagdeep Singh Deo (state executive councillor in charge of housing) resign from his post to take responsibility for the issue?” he said.