Mukhriz Offers Olive Branch to Lim Guan Eng on Kedah-Penang Water Issue

Datuk Mukhriz Tun Mahathir was always going to have his work cut out when he took up his new post as Menteri Besar of Kedah.

Picking up the pieces after years of PAS rule that was marred by allegations of nepotism, cronyism and corruption – not to mention ineptitude – Mukhriz's position is one of the toughest in the country.

Yet, despite his relative inexperience, he has got off to a flying start.

The New Straits Times this weekend pointed out that Mukhriz had solved issues facing Kolej Universiti Insaniah (Kuin) staff in less than two months – despite the previous PAS administration sitting idly by while employees were paid late for some five years.

Next on his checklist is resolving the on-going spat between Kedah and neighbouring Penang about the provision of raw water supplies.

Kedah's former Water Supply, Water Resources and Energy Committee chairman Datuk Phahrolrazi Zawawi explained that Kedah had spent millions in maintaining and conserving water catchment areas, ensuring that raw water supplied to Penang was clean and unpolluted.

As a consequence, the thinking in Kedah was that Penang should contribute something towards the costs.

At the time, Lim Guan Eng was happy to bury his head in the sand, quipping that the suggestion must have been nothing more than a clerical error (something that he is presumably very familiar with since the CEC election fiasco in December).

"I believe this confusion arose from the officers in Kedah and I will leave it to the Kedah state government to sort it out," he said, washing his hands of the matter.

But with a newly energised State Government behind him, the hope that Mukhriz can persuade Lim to see reason should be high.

"I will ask him for an appointment and present a proposal where a win-win solution that benefits both parties can be reached," the MB said this week.

"I hope he will look at it with an open mind, instead of just rejecting it outright. As we are neighbours, we can help each other."

Last week the Penang Chief Minister seemed to make a dramatic U-turn by announcing that he believed Kedah should get funds to protect the Sungai Muda basin and the Ulu Muda forests as water sources.

But with Lim being Lim, there's a catch. Writing on his blog, the Chief Minister argued that the funding should not come from the Penang State Government's coffers, but straight from Putrajaya.

However, Mukhriz is a straight talker and is not expected to take such politicking lightly.

"Our intention is to safeguard the people's interests. We want to look into the interests of Penangites without depriving Kedahans," he said.