Gooi Hsiao Leung (PH-Bukit Tengah) said irresponsible PAS members had been likening the fate of Malays in the state to Palestinians in the West Bank.

He said the reality was Malays were well taken care of in Penang, with Islamic affairs allocations beating neighbouring Kedah by close to 2,000%.

Gooi said Penang’s budget for Islamic affairs next year was RM71 million, while Kedah’s budget through its state Islamic religious council was RM3.5 million.

He said Penang’s annual commitment to Malay affairs alone should easily show that the PAS narratives were not true.

Gooi also found it upsetting that the PAS president had said a Muslim leader who is a tyrant is better than the one who is a non-Muslim.

“When will we stop these politics of race and hate? PAS has never ceased attacking Penang.

“And also, why is the (Kedah) menteri besar so obsessed with Penang? Many mega projects have been stalled since 2011, such as the Kedah Rubber City project.

“Why don’t you (Kedah menteri besar) settle your issues first. Don’t disturb us,” the former Alor Setar MP said in debating the 2022 state supply bill today.

Earlier this month, state PAS committee member Abdul Razib Abd Rahim claimed that the Penang government was trying to drive out Malays from the state through development projects.

He told the party’s muktamar the projects included a large pig farming area at a Malay settlement, reclamation projects and other infrastructure projects.

Razib also found it upsetting that non-Malays had dominated both federal and state legislatures representing Penang.