Friday April 24, 2009

Barisan and PAS claim they had Chinese interests at heart

KUALA TERENGGANU: The battle for Chinese votes intensified with both sides claiming to have done more for the community.

Former mentri besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said it was Barisan Nasional’s assemblymen who had blocked a land takeover bid at a Chinese temple here when the state was under PAS rule from 1996 to 2004.

Idris said a copy of the state government gazette, dated Feb 13, 2003, showed that the 450sq metre-land where the temple was situated was needed by the then state government for a flood mitigation project.

He was responding to a statement by state PAS deputy commissioner Datuk Wan Mutalib Embong, who told reporters earlier that PAS never intended to take over the temple.

Idris said PAS had done little for the people of Terengganu when it was in power. “But when we took over the government, we brought down the poverty rate by more than half, from over 15% to 6.5% in 2007.

“We also managed to improve the per capita income for the people in the state from RM1,984 to RM2,463 in the same period.”

He said the state government also wanted to take over 400sq metres of land in Balik Bukit where the state Mardi building stood.

Idris said the community would not be swayed by PAS’ promises now.