BN SABOTAJ EXCO BARU PULAU PINANG

Penang excos start work in 'bare' offices

Sun2surf

PENANG (March 17, 2008): The new state executive councillors (excos) started their first week in office to govern with a clean sheet, literally.

They found their offices cleared of all government documents and minutes of the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) government. All records of projects, completed or current, approved by the previous government are missing.

Health, Welfare and Caring Society Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said: "The action taken by the previous excos have hindered our work."

"They (the previous exco) claim the documents are 'personal property' and cleared the offices," he told reporters.

The new line-up would have to get copies of the documents from the state secretary's office.

"We have the resources to track down these documents. They (state secretary office) would still have copies of whatever 'approval' documents. If the documents are not approved yet, they still have to come back to the exco for approval," he said.

Public Works, Utilities and Transport Committee chairman Lim Hock Seng said "we have to start from scratch".

"We will have to go and get copies from various department heads on previous projects," he said.

Phee said the previous exco members did not follow the conduct of former Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon who has been a gentleman all the way.

"If they (the previous exco) really loved the people, they should not have used such obstructions to try and stop us," said Phee.

In Alor Star, the PAS-led Kedah government also found all documents in the offices of the Mentri Besar and excos missing when they took office after the 12th General Election on March 8.

Mentri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak has appointed state executive councillor Phahrolrazi Zawawi to probe the case of "missing government documents".

He also said a police report will be lodged after the "internal probe".