KUANTAN: Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail has told Lim Guan Eng to act in a manner befitting his position after the Finance Minister issued a statement on the state's debt.
Wan Rosdy questioned the method the statement was issued, saying he found the words used "strange".
"Obviously, this is politically motivated by issuing the statement through the Finance Ministry's Twitter account, complete with the ministry's logo on the left corner and the federal government's coat-of-arms on the statement itself.
"The title of the statement is questionable. Throughout my political career and position in the state government, I have yet to see such a press statement from a government," Wan Rosdy said on Tuesday (Jan 22).
In Lim's statement, he asked whether the Pahang government could develop the state seeing that it had the highest debt in Malaysia at RM3.2bil at the end of 2018.
Lim also said every year, the Pahang Mentri Besar would proudly say that the state government tabled surplus budgets since 1992, which was contrary to the record after accounting was done.
He said from 2014 to 2017, the Auditor-General's Report showed the state's management expenditure was more than revenue, making it a deficit situation.
"The continuous deficit reflects an irresponsible and imprudent financial management. After so many years in deficit, the Pahang state government’s consolidated account is at negative RM228mil on Dec 31, 2017," said Lim.
Wan Rosdy instead said many others had disputed Lim's statement, showing that it was another abuse of government facilities.
"I hope that Lim will move on. Behave like a Finance Minister. It's only been eight months they are the government but they behave as if they do not know the value of things," he added.
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