He said besides himself, the Land Committee included deputy chief ministers Mohd Rashid Hasnon and P Ramasamy, and executive councillor Lim Hock Seng.
Lim currently holds the Land and Land Development Matters portfolio, along with Information, Culture and Arts, Heritage and Non-Muslim Matters.
He was responding to Gerakan’s claim that Lim single-handedly decided on land matters in the state after the sale of a plot of government land at Peel Avenue to a private hospital.
“I don’t remember who this Gerakan guy is, but he said the Peel Avenue government land sale decision was made by me alone. This is not true. I have asked for proof of this, but there is still nothing from him.
“This Gerakan guy is trying to show that Penang is ruled by a dictator. These are personal attacks against me by spreading untruths.
“But the reality is, during BN’s time, the ‘one person rules all’ culture was rife,” Lim told reporters at Komtar today.
Lim, who is DAP secretary-general, said the Land Committee during BN’s time was led by Umno’s Dr Hilmi Yahaya.
Hilmi is a former Teluk Bahang state assemblyman. He won the seat in four general elections – 1990, 1995, 1999 and 2008. In 2004 and 2013, he won the Balik Pulau parliamentary seat.
Hilmi had been a state executive councillor from 1995 to 2004 and the Penang deputy chief minister between 1999 and 2004. Hilmi is currently deputy health minister.
Lim said although the land committee meetings were attended by government staff and ex-officio members, any land matter was left to Hilmi to decide.
Penang’s sale of a 6.4-acre government land to a private hospital has come under intense scrutiny by Gerakan after it was sold for RM156 million on a 99-year lease through direct negotiations.
Lim said it was sold at a higher price than that recommended by a federal government valuation department.
He said the purchaser of the land, Island Hospital Sdn Bhd, would invest RM2 billion to build a 600-bed private hospital on the land, creating 2,000 jobs.
However, the hospital project will only go ahead if it obtains federal approval. Otherwise, the land will be returned to the state, and 2% of the company’s RM30 million down payment forfeited.
Lim said based on the economic merit to the state, the deal was negotiated directly.