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For image info, go to https://www.penangpropertytalk.com/2023/10/penang-calls-off-batu-kawan-land-deal/
Batu Kawan land deal: Toothless CM Chow and Penang government
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/videos/p5pz-pdmjVk (Chow, Guan Eng spar over Batu Kawan land tender)
KUALA LUMPUR, May 16, 2026: Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and his government are looking more and more like toothless tigers, good only for issuing threats but NATO (No Action Talk Only).
Chow, who is also the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) chief, had more than two years ago threatened to take legal action against The Edge (a weekly business news magazine) for its report on the controversial land deal involving 559 acres of state land in Ladang Byram, Batu Kawan.
PDC till today has yet to file the suit.
And Chow and his mentor, Lim Guan Eng, had a fiery spar in the Penang Assembly this week, with Chow losing his cool and displaying tremendous emotion, instead of explaining the controversial deal (see above video clip).
Or is there something to hide?
For image info, go to https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/686446
No News Is Bad News reproduces below Lim’s say on the controversy:
【PDC Prove Its Integrity And Credibility By Carrying Out Its Threat Made More Than 2 Years Ago To Sue The Edge】
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PDC should carry out its threat made over 2 years ago to take legal action against The Edge for its report on the controversial land deal involving 559 acres of state land in Ladang Byram, Batu Kawan. The Edge had on 10 January 2024 described the sale of 559 acres of Ladang Byram/Changkat land by direct sale, not open tender as “Turkeys of the Year: A hush-hush land deal in Batu Kawan.”
On 31 May 2024, The Edge reported that Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the PDC was mulling a legal suit against The Edge over its report on the controversial Batu Kawan project. However more than 2 years later, no legal suit has been filed. PDC should take seriously the allegations made in The Edge against the state government and carry out its threat to sue to prove its integrity and credibility.
Failure to do so may negatively impair the image of the state government. Bear in mind The Edge is no ordinary paper. The Edge gained renown for courageously reporting and exposing the RM 52 billion 1MDB scandal despite threats from the then Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. The Edge would not have made such allegations on the Ladang Byram land deal lightly without due diligence and thorough investigations.
After the state government cancelled its direct tender of the land for RM 646 million, it launched a Request for Proposal(RFP) by open tender in 2024. In December 2024, the government rejected the first RFP’s offer of RM 818 million from a consortium of 3 companies, two of which were publicly listed. The consortium in the failed first RFP had made a public statement disagreeing with the PDC’s decision on December 2024.
Recently the second RFP issued by PDC in 2025 was also cancelled without reasons given. I hope that PDC can fully explain the reasons why in the interest of public scrutiny, accountability, transparency and the rakyat’s interest.
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【槟州发展机构（PDC）应兑现两年多前扬言起诉《The Edge》的承诺，以证明其廉正与公信力】
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槟州发展机构应落实其两年多前所作出的威胁，即针对《The Edge》有关威南峇都交湾559英亩州政府土地交易争议的报道采取法律行动。《The Edge》于2024年1月10日曾将这项涉及樟角楣南(Ladang Byram／Changkat)共559英亩土地、以直接出售而非公开招标方式进行的交易，形容为“年度最离谱事件：峇都交湾一宗神神秘秘的土地交易”（Turkeys of the Year: A hush-hush land deal in Batu Kawan）。
《The Edge》于2024年5月31日报道，槟州首席部长曹观友表示，PDC正考虑针对《The Edge》有关峇都交湾争议发展计划的报道提出诉讼。然而，两年多过去了，至今却仍未见任何法律行动。PDC应严正看待《The Edge》针对州政府所提出的相关指控，并兑现起诉承诺，以证明其廉正与公信力。
若继续没有采取行动，恐将进一步损害州政府形象。必须谨记，《The Edge》并非一般媒体。《The Edge》过去在面对时任首相拿督斯里纳吉的压力与威胁下，仍勇敢揭发与报道高达520亿令吉的一马发展公司（1MDB）丑闻，因此声名大噪。《The Edge》不可能在没有经过尽职调查与深入调查的情况下，轻率地针对Ladang Byram土地交易作出如此严重的指控。
州政府在取消原本以6亿4600万令吉直接出售该土地的计划后，于2024年改以公开招标方式展开建议书征求（RFP）。2024年12月，州政府拒绝了首轮RFP中，由3家公司组成财团提出的8亿1800万令吉献议，其中两家公司还是上市公司。参与首轮失败RFP的该财团，也于2024年12月公开发表声明，不认同PDC所作出的决定。
近期，PDC于2025年重新发出的第二轮RFP，同样在未说明理由下被取消。我希望PDC能够基于公众监督、问责、透明化以及人民利益，全面交代取消第二轮RFP的真正原因。
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