GEORGE TOWN: Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir will meet Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to discuss the raw water payment issue.
"I will ask him for an appointment and present a proposal where a win-win solution that benefits both parties can be reached.
"I hope he will look at it with an open mind, instead of just rejecting (it outright)," he said after visiting his predecessor Tan Sri Azizan Abdul Razak at the Penang Hospital Saturday.
It was earlier reported that Mukhriz had said that Kedah would continue to seek payment for its raw water which was channelled to Penang.
He was said to have reiterated that the question of whether the move was justified, was not based on the fact that the Muda River also runs through the Penang border but rather the source of the water.
However, Lim Guan Eng said that Kedah’s proposal to charge Penang for raw water was "unreasonable" and akin to "asking money for nothing".
He said the water is drawn from the Penang side of Muda River at no cost to Kedah.
Lim also questioned the need for payment for drawing water from a river which was a natural water resource and not a man-made project.
When asked what would be his next move if Lim shot down his proposal, Mukhriz said he has not thought of that.
"Our intention is to safeguard the people’s interests. We want to look into the interests of Penangites without depriving Kedahans," he said.
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