PUTRAJAYA – Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil has accused Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor of being racist and politicising Penang’s water shortage issues.
He said Sanusi’s claim that the state’s DAP-led government was discriminating against Malay areas was seditious and racist, and made him unfit to be a state leader.
“(Sanusi) often speaks without fact. Lies come out of his mouth. This attitude is not good for a menteri besar, he should not act in such a way,” Fahmi, who is the government’s spokesperson, said at a post-cabinet press conference today.
“On the stage, he can say the Nibong Tebal MP (Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek) won her seat with a hundred votes. A simple Google search can show that she won with a 16,000-vote majority.
“If (Sanusi) fails at such basic matters like this, imagine managing the administration of a state government.”
Fahmi was referring to Sanusi’s accusation against the Penang government over frequent water supply issues in Nibong Tebal and Sg Bakap, predominantly Malay areas, and not in other locations.
The PAS politician questioned why water supply problems afflicted Sg Bakap, and offered to sell clean water from Kedah’s Lubuk Buntar water treatment plant in Bandar Baharu, Kulim.
The Sg Bakap state seat is due for a by-election on July 6, following the death of its incumbent.
However, Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has accused Sanusi of using racial rhetoric and exploiting the state’s water woes, adding that almost all of the state’s population suffered from water supply disruptions and not only those in Malay areas.
Today, Penang Amanah chairman Faiz Fadzil urged Sanusi to stop his “cheap rhetoric”, adding that Penang owned a part of Sg Muda which provided water supply. – June 12, 2024