Shadow Policy Committee

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng called on everybody in Penang to stop making an issue of the bilingual road signs in the Georgetown heritage site. Instead, he said, they should accept the move as an initiative to attract more tourists to the state. "It is hoped that after this there will be no more issue on road signs and no more criticism against the state government," he told reporters after visiting the site where the road signs were put up in the Lebuh Campbell area. Wednesday's installation of the road signs, involving 19 pieces and costing RM3,000, is at Lebuh Campbell, Lebuh Armenian, Lebuh Chulia, Lebuh Cannon and Port Weld. It is carried out under the second phase of the road sign project. The first phase was carried out in November last year. Lim said the putting up of the bilingual road sign was timely as it would coincide with the Chinese New Year celebration at the end of the month. He said there were altogether 82 roads in areas within the vicinity of the herita...

The Penang government has appointed 10 lawyers, headed by Karpal Singh, to defend it against a legal attempt by a Pahang-based accountant to stop it from placing road signs in various languages besides Malay. Chief Minister and DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng said the state had obtained the attorney-general’s approval to enlist its own lawyers, all of whom will be serving pro bono, for the case.The other lawyers are Yeo Yang Poh, Azahar Harun, Malek Imtiaz, Harris Ibrahim, Jagdeep Singh Deo, Gobind Singh Deo, Mureli Navaratnam, Cecil Rajendra and Bernard Kok Yin Fook. All the lawyers will volunteer their services to the state, Lim said today. Incidentally, the state’s lead counsel, Karpal, is also Bukit Gelugor MP and DAP national chairman.The first mention of the injunction application, which seeks to prevent state authorities from installing road signs in various languages in George Town, is scheduled to be heard at the Penang High Court tomorrow. Nik Rizman Sapian, 33, from Kuala...