
DAP man slams PDC bonuses amid Penang's ‘financial woes'
DAP's Air Itam assemblyman, Joseph Ng, said the officers and staff of PDC are not private sector workers 'who can share the company's revenue among themselves'. (Facebook pic)
GEORGE TOWN : A backbencher has taken the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) to task for giving up to six months' bonuses to its staff earlier this year.
Joseph Ng (PH-Air Itam) said the decision to provide bonuses was ill-timed, given the state's ongoing financial woes.
While Ng did not go into specifics, former chief minister Lim Guan Eng had expressed concern last year over Penang's financial health, following a drastic reduction in the state's bank balance, which plummeted by RM825 million over the past four years.
Ng said the bonuses would also be unfair as they would create a divide between PDC staff and other civil servants, whose departments are enduring budget cuts this year and 'got only modest year-end BKK (Bantuan Khas Kewangan) payments'.
'The officers and staff of PDC are not private sector workers who can share the company's revenue among themselves. PDC is a state government agency,' he said during the debate on the motion of thanks to the governor in the state assembly today.
On Feb 9, the PDC's CEO, Aziz Bakar, revealed that 396 staff would receive bonuses ranging from one to six months, based on their performances, after recording over RM500 million in profits for 2024, the highest in the corporation's history since its establishment in 1969.
About 10% of the staff would receive the full six-month payout, PDC was reported to have said.
Ng said there was no justification for the bonuses as PDC and its subsidiaries still owed money to the state and banks.
'I believe that PDC should prioritise settling its debts to the state before it declares profits and distributes six-month bonuses to its staff,' he said.
Citing a written reply, he said that between 2018 and 2025, PDC was reported to have disbursed over RM41.5 million in bonuses and special payments, including the annual BKK given to state civil servants.
Ng said PDC's profits were not all self-earned, as the agency benefitted from state land deals, soft loans, and development privileges. He also said the reported 'strong profits' in property development are not exceptional or impressive.
'Without this backing from government agencies, it would have been nearly impossible for PDC to achieve such profits,' he said. 'The state government is currently in a tight financial position, so I would like an explanation from the government on this.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Malay Mail
25 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Malaysian billionaire Ong Beng Seng to plead guilty in Singapore ex-transport minister Iswaran's corruption case on July 3
SINGAPORE, June 11 — Billionaire hotelier Ong Beng Seng will plead guilty on July 3 in a high-profile graft case linked to Singapore's former transport minister S. Iswaran. The Straits Times reported that the 79-year-old tycoon's plea date was confirmed following a pre-trial conference in Singapore yesterday. His plea was initially slated for April 2 but was delayed after his lawyers requested more time to obtain medical reports. Ong, best known for bringing Formula One to Singapore in 2008, faces two charges: abetting a public servant to obtain gifts and abetting the obstruction of justice. He was charged on October 4, 2024. According to court documents, Ong had allegedly arranged for Iswaran to fly on his private jet from Singapore to Doha in December 2022 — a flight valued at US$7,700 (RM32,615). He also covered a one-night stay for Iswaran at the Four Seasons Hotel Doha, worth S$4,737.63, and a business-class return flight to Singapore valued at S$5,700. Ong is accused of tipping off Iswaran that the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) had seized the flight manifest for the trip, prompting the then-minister to ask Ong to retroactively bill him to avoid scrutiny. This led to Ong being charged with the abetment of obstruction of justice. Ong's links to Iswaran go back nearly two decades. In the mid-2000s, the two men worked together to convince then-Formula One Group chief executive Bernie Ecclestone to bring the sport's first-ever night race to Singapore. Iswaran served as chairman of the F1 steering committee and was the Singapore government's chief negotiator on related matters with Singapore GP. Iswaran, 62, was sentenced to 12 months in jail on October 3, 2024, after pleading guilty to five charges, including receiving gifts from Ong and David Lum Kok Seng, managing director of Lum Chang Holdings. He was placed on the Home Detention Scheme in February 2025 and completed his sentence on June 6. Ong has since announced plans to step down as managing director of Hotel Properties Limited, the company he founded.

Malay Mail
25 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Zuraida's RM10m bond case: Federal Court to hear PKR's appeal bid on June 24
PUTRAJAYA, June 11 — The Federal Court will hear on June 24 an application by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) to seek leave to appeal against a Court of Appeal's decision which reduced the bond payment to be made by the party's former vice-president, Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin, in a breach of party bond case. PKR's lawyer, Navpreet Singh, when contacted, told Bernama that the hearing will proceed via online proceedings. 'A final case management was held before the Federal Court deputy registrar Husna Dzulkifly today, he said, adding that all parties have updated the court pertaining to compliance with pre-hearing directives relating to their submissions. The case revolves around a civil suit filed by former PKR secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, on behalf of the party, claiming that Zuraida, who was then the Ampang Member of Parliament, had breached the bond she had signed. The terms of the bond, among others, required Zuraida to pay PKR RM10 million within seven days of winning an election on the PKR ticket, should she resign from the party, join another political party, or become an independent representative. In June 2023, the High Court ruled in favour of the party and ordered Zuraida to pay the RM10 million, with the court finding the bond to be valid and enforceable. However, in December last year, the Court of Appeal agreed with the High Court that there was a breach of bond but reduced the bond amount to RM100,000, citing that the RM10 million is not a reasonable amount of compensation. This prompted PKR to file a leave to appeal. In her defence, Zuraida contended that she was forced to sign the bond with the party to be able to stand for election as a candidate in the 14th General Election (GE14) in 2018. The Federal Court will now decide whether PKR can proceed with its appeal against the Court of Appeal's decision. In civil cases, litigants must obtain leave before they can proceed with their appeals in the Federal Court. — Bernama


Free Malaysia Today
37 minutes ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Bursa opens firmer amid heavyweight buying support
KUALA LUMPUR : Bursa Malaysia opened on a firmer note on Wednesday, with the key index climbing 0.46%, buoyed by buying interest in heavyweight counters and tracking Wall Street, which ended broadly higher. At 9.05am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) raked in 7.06 points to 1,524.01 from Tuesday's close of 1,516.95. The benchmark index opened at 1,520.86, higher by 3.91 points. Market breadth was positive with 156 advancers versus 74 decliners, while 220 counters were unchanged, 1,919 untraded and 11 suspended. Turnover stood at 81.25 million units, valued at RM46.47 million. MORE TO COME