Penang Speaker reminds assemblymen to take debate time seriously

PENANG: State legislative assembly speaker Datuk Law Choo Kiang (pix) today told members of the House to take seriously the time for debates.
The reminder came after Wong Hong Wai (DAP–Air Itam), state legislature opposition leader Datuk Jahara Hamid (BN–Teluk Air Tawar) and R.S.N. Rayer (DAP–Seri Delima) urged Law to reopen debate time.
The time allocated for debates was closed by Deputy Speaker Datuk Maktar Shapee last Friday evening when no assemblymen stood up for debate then.
Law brushed aside arguments that Maktar did not give enough time for assemblymen to return to the House as the bell was not sounded since quorum then was met.
"I hope you assemblymen, please, please, do not again trouble the House and the Speaker in the future," he said.
Rayer, who is also Penang Backbenchers chairman apologised for what happened, and thanked Law for reopening the session while Jahara expressed her thanks.
At question time, Penang Housing, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh refuted suggestions the only business the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) was involved in was selling land.
He said PDC was involved in 14 projects statewide to develop affordable housing, with the bulk at Batu Kawan where some 11,000 affordable residential units were planned.
"There are also some which have not been finalised and announcements will be made when the plans are final," he said in reply to Datuk Muhamad Farid Saad (Pulau Betong – BN).
He asked what happened to the RM500 million PDC obtained from the sale of land at Bayan Mutiara to which Jagdeep said the monies had been deposited in th State Consolidated Fund.
From 2012 until 2015, the state has allocated annual grants to PDC for the purpose of building affordable housing the House was told.
Meanwhile, Traffic Management and Flood Mitigation Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the state has granted unlicensed operators many exemptions during the current legitimisation exercise which will last until Oct 31 next year, including exempting rezoning and parking requirements.
"The state has received complaints from licensed operators having to compete with unlicensed operators so there is a need to balance the interests of all," he said in reply to Norlela Ariffin (PKR – Penanti) and Teh Lai Heng (Komtar – DAP).