GEORGE TOWN: State opposition leader Datuk Azhar Ibrahim felt the state government should facilitate growth instead of being fixated at saving money to be kept as reserves.
Azhar said that last year, the state showed a reserve of RM1.2 billion which could have been allocated to the local councils to keep Penang clean. "The state is more interested in showing a fat bank balance.
They like the idea of running the state like a business instead of facilitating growth.
That was why they recently turned down 2,000 applicants who were bidding for MPSP's solid waste management programme," Azhar said.
Azhar said although he understood the state was trying to reduce outsourcing, he claimed the savings were not being used to keep the state clean.