Opposition states to share their experiences

GEORGE TOWN: Nine months after the March 8 general election when the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) swept five states, the five state governments are now ready to share their experiences and work hand-in-hand.

Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said immediately after the elections, the five state governments were busy understanding the issues and affairs of the states.

"Now we are ready to share our experiences, so that we can overcome the issues and problems that we face," he told reporters here on Dec 5 at the international conference "The New Economic Vision for Penang and Malaysia" organised by investPenang and the Penang Development Corporation.

Those present included Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Nizhar Jamaluddin, PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa and also former Penang chief minister Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the federal government should not isolate the five PR states just because they were run by the opposition.

"We are also Malaysian states and we should be included in all ongoing discussions instead of being isolated. We are also part of Malaysia," he added.

Lim stressed that while the five PR states would share their experiences, they would not isolate themselves from the rest of the country.

"Even though we will have close cooperation, we do not want to work in isolation," he stressed.

The Edge
05/12/08