Updated 5:19pm, 14 April 2009
PENANG, 14 April 2009: The name of the new deputy chief minister I is expected to be announced tomorrow.
PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will convey his recommendation to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for the post.
This comes a week after the resignation of former deputy chief minister I Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin.
“We have only two other Malay assemblypersons from PKR in Penang (besides Mohammad Fairus),” Lim told reporters after a mock cheque presentation for a state religious school here today.
It was reported that Batu Maung assemblyperson Abdul Malik Abul Kassim and Sungai Bakap assemblyperson Maktar Shapee are being considered from among the top candidates for the post.
Mohammad Fairus, who is Penanti assemblyperson, resigned as deputy chief minister 1 on 8 April.
On Penang water consumers, Lim said the state government would only penalise certain quarters who used excessive water.
“If we are to increase the water tariff next year, it would be to penalise excessive users while others will get a normal water tariff bill,” added Lim.
However, he said that if consumers continued with their high water usage, the only alternative for the state government was to build bigger dams, treatment plants and pipelines whose cost might run into billions of ringgit.
No leave application
Meanwhile, Mohammad Fairus has not submitted an application for leave from the Penang state assembly sitting beginning 20 April.
Its speaker, Abdul Halim Hussain said Mohammad Fairus could still apply for leave even one day before the start of the sitting.
“All he needs to do is to inform the state assembly’s secretary or me if he wants to go on leave,” Abdul Halim told reporters here today.
Mohammad Fairus could not be contacted since he resigned as deputy chief minister 1.
Abdul Halim said an assemblyperson needed to be present for at least one day during a session in six months, otherwise he ceased to be a member of the House and his seat would be declared vacant.
“An assemblyperson is deemed to have attended a state assembly sitting even if he appears for only five minutes during the session,” he said.
Abdul Halim said the state assembly sitting, which would be opened by Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas, would deliberate on 67 verbal questions and 419 written questions.
Three reports will be presented, namely a report on the aborted “King of Tennis” event by the Public Accounts Committee, and 2007 financial reports and audit reports by the Penang Municipal Council and the Seberang Perai Municipal Council.
Three bills will be tabled — the Penang Loan Enactment (Batu Kawan Arcade Building and Seafood Centre project) 2009, the Loan Enactment (Penang Water Supply project)(Amendment) 2009 and the Penang Chief Minister Enactment (Corporatisation) 2009. — Bernama
