GEORGE TOWN, Oct 19 — Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said today he will file a legal suit against Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce’s (PCCC) life honorary president Tan Sri Tan Kok Ping over the latter’s remarks against him.

The Penang lawmaker said the state exco meeting today unanimously decided that he takes legal action against the businessman.

"The Penang state exco unanimously decided that Chow takes legal action against Tan over his statement that had humiliated and smeared the reputation of the chief minister,” Chow said in a statement issued here.

He was referring to a statement Tan made in a press conference yesterday that was widely published in both online news and printed newspaper formats.

"The decision was made based on the media reports that quoted Tan using words that had humiliated and degraded the dignity of the chief minister,” he said.

Chow said his lawyer would take the necessary action to initiate legal proceedings against Tan.

Yesterday, in a joint press conference with PCCC president Datuk Seri Hong Yeam Wah, Tan went on a diatribe against Chow regarding the Batu Kawan Industrial Park 2 (BKIP2) — also known as Byram Industrial Park — land deal between Penang Development Corporation and UMECH Land Sdn Bhd.

Tan, who spoke mainly in Mandarin, had reportedly called Chow "incompetent, useless and shameless” over the whole land deal controversy.

His comments were published in most Chinese dailies that covered the press conference.

Earlier this week, Penang Development Corp announced that the deal with UMECH Land has since been terminated, and a request for proposal will be called for the BKIP2 soon.