THE anti-Pakatan Harapan posters put up overnight across the state are a mission accomplished, said Penang Barisan Nasional chairman Teng Chang Yeow.

Despite being slammed by state DAP leaders, he said, the posters have achieved their two goals: Penang BN’s campaign dry run, and to send a message to Penang folk.

“We want to remind the people that the present state government has not delivered on its 51 promises since coming to power.

“We have achieved our aim. We also thank DAP for helping circulate pictures of the posters on Facebook,” Teng told The Malaysian Insight.

The posters, printed in multiple languages, have Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s picture superimposed on a flood scene and a cleared hill slope, and the words “Boasting Pakatan Harapan” and “10 years, 51 empty promises”.

BN had, in the past, accused the DAP-led Penang government of failing to deliver at least 51 projects since the opposition took over the state in 2008.

“We printed 16,000 copies for the whole state. We distributed 400 to 600 copies to each of the 40 state constituencies,” said Teng.

“They were put up only where there is traffic, so motorists can see them.”

Posters ‘environmentally unfriendly’, illegal

In response to Teng’s admission that BN was behind the posters, local government exco and state DAP chief Chow Kon Yeow “appealed” to the BN leader to “support the state’s cleaner and greener initiative by refraining from putting up posters that are environmentally unfriendly”.

He said the posters marred the state’s “clean” image, adding that some were put up in places that could distract motorists, putting them in danger, and damaged public property.

He said it was a “sheer waste of valuable resources” to use so much paper in the poster campaign against the chief minister.

“Local council workers have to be redeployed to clean up the mess. Residents, too, are unhappy to see the environment impacted by the posters. It is not the general election yet.

“If Teng continues with such ‘poster wars’, the local councils may not clean up the mess. Instead, the posters will be left there for the people to see and shame Teng until he cleans up the mess himself.”

State DAP assistant publicity secretary Syerleena Abdul Rashid criticised the act of putting up the “slanderous posters” as a “massive smear campaign”.

Syerleena, who is also state DAP Wanita political education director, said Teng seems to have forgotten local council regulations that state the authorities’ approval is needed before banners, streamers and posters can be put up.

She said Teng, as a former state government leader, should have known that such an approach highlights BN’s weakness and amplifies its disregard for regulations and laws, as well as its lack of shame in “twisting the system to meet their very own selfish needs”.

“There is no doubt that BN is hell-bent on regaining Penang, and has proven that it will resort to the lowest and scummiest level of political battles just to prove its self-worth to its political masters.”

‘Practise your own policy’

Replying to the criticism, Teng said the Penang government should do better in heeding its cleaner and greener initiative, citing “Botak Hill” – the illegal Bukit Relau hill clearing case – and the landslide incidents in Balik Pulau.

“Solve issues like that. They are bigger problems than the posters.”

He denied that the posters are an eyesore.

“We didn’t put up the posters everywhere. Orders were given not to paste them on private and government buildings. They were pasted on trees.

“They were put up in a way that allows them to be easily removed.

“We are not irresponsible. We didn’t mess up. They (state and DAP leaders) went ‘kelam kabut’ (chaotic) on their own.”

Teng told Chow not to defame him or BN by making 1Malaysia Development Bhd-related allegations if he has no proof.

In a Facebook post earlier today, Chow said PH’s rivals have “so much money and resources to kill us (PH) and grab Penang back”, and “they still have a lot of money from 1MDB not spent (in the) last election”.

“Can he prove that I had 1MDB money going into my account, and BN had so-called ‘leftover’ 1MDB money from the last election?” said Teng.

“I can sue him (over these allegations), but that is not me.” – March 20, 2018.