DAP man slams PDC bonuses amid Penang's ‘financial woes'

Free Malaysia Today

19-05-2025

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.'