Gooi Hsiao Leung speaks to reporters outside the state assembly chambers today.
“Even if you add up one and a half years of allocations, the amount is still less than what USM gets. Is this fair to the hardworking Penangites who are one of the largest body of taxpayers in the country? In terms of annual federal grants, he said, Kedah received RM373.3 million while Perak received RM657.1 million and Perlis, RM126 million.
He said the majority of Penang’s civil service are essentially federal employees from the Public Service Department, unlike unfederated Malay states like Johor, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu which have their own civil services. “We saw a big dispute when the federal government appointed a state secretary in 2010 without the consultation or agreement of the Penang government at the time.