‘So, dentist Khir Toyo can also use same excuse’

(The Star) – Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan (pic) has taken a swipe at a DAP lawmaker who insisted that Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng could not have known the market price of his bungalow because he is an accountant and not a property valuer.

In a series of tweets, he said the excuse given by Tanjong MP Ng Wei Aik to defend Lim can also apply to former Selangor mentri besar Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo.

“According to Tanjong MP, LGE (Lim) is an accountant not valuer.

“I want to ask MP Tanjong. Can Khir Toyo then say he didn’t know the value of the house he bought just because he was a dentist?” he tweeted on Friday.

The Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister, who has been engaged in a war of words with the DAP since Lim’s controversial bungalow purchase was reported, said the Penang government’s practice of declaring assets didn’t give anyone the “high moral ground”.

“Declaring assets (actually only once every five years) doesn’t give anyone the high moral ground to claim he is whiter than white!” added Abdul Rahman, in reference to Lim.

Ng, who is Penang DAP publicity secretary, defended his boss in a statement earlier on Friday by claiming that Lim could not have known the market value of the bungalow he bought for RM2.8mil in July last year.

He said the sub-sale of a property could still be carried out without an evaluation before the signing of the sales and purchase agreement.

He also accused Barisan Nasional of attempting to undermine the Penang chief minister’s integrity so that they could regain support in the state.

Lim has denied any wrongdoing in the purchase of the bungalow.