I exhausted all internal channels, says Guan Eng after Loke’s reprimand

2026-03-21 - 10:00

Former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng said he has exhausted all internal channels with the state government and his successor, Chow Kon Yeow, before taking the issue public. GEORGE TOWN: Former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng has defended his public criticism of his successor, Chow Kon Yeow, over the state’s quit rent hikes, saying he only resorted to that after exhausting all internal mechanisms. Lim welcomed DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook’s intervention in their public spat, promising not to issue any more statements until a meeting is held among him, Chow and Loke. “Since the quit rent hike was first mooted last year, I have exhausted all internal mechanisms with the state government and the Penang chief minister before making my disagreement public. “Until this meeting (among) the three of us is held, I will not be making public statements or holding press conferences for distressed landowners affected by the exorbitant hike in quit rent,” said the Air Putih assemblyman in a Facebook post. Lim sought to assure the affected landowners that his service centres will remain open to assist them in appealing against the quit rent hike, including filling the appeal forms. He said that to date, his parliamentary and state assemblyman offices have assisted up to 800 landowners. Earlier today, Loke ordered both Lim and Chow to put an end to their public spat over the matter, describing it as “unhealthy and inappropriate”. The DAP secretary-general slammed Lim for taking a “highly inappropriate” approach to the issue, saying he should understand the importance of maintaining party discipline. Loke also said Chow should take serious note of the concerns raised as they involve public interest and reflect grievances from various stakeholders. Loke added that he will hold a meeting with both DAP leaders to resolve the issue amicably.