PENANG: Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon has called on dissatisfied Umno members to meet him if they have any unresolved issues.

He said he took a "constructive and positive note" the comments by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi that perhaps inadequate help was given to the Malays in Penang by the Gerakan-led state government.

Koh said such efforts have always been ongoing.

"I am always willing to meet and discuss with them any issues which they are unhappy about without publicising these meetings," he said after officiating at the Regional Exposition for Small and Medium Entreprises (SMEs) 2006 today (Aug 14, 2006).

"I admit there are some problems which have been unresolved, but then again, we have resolved most of the problems brought to our attention.

"If we have resolved all of the problems, then we wouldn't have any work to do."

Koh said that "usually, when some matters are brought to my attention, I would always hand them over to the executive councillors concerned".

"If the executive councillors are not able to resolve these problems, then they (the people) are welcome to come and see me."

Asked if those representing Umno in the state exco were not doing their jobs in highlighting the plight of the Malays, Koh said he was satisfied with their performances.

"I have full trust in them and they work hard in their portfolios. Maybe they find it difficult to resolve some issues or haven't brought these up," he said.

"They do bring up issues during each exco meeting and we try our best to resolve them.

"Some are just beyond our control and may take time, especially in matters related to land acquisition or squatters as the state government does not have its own land bank.

"These matters take time, or even end up in court."

He cited certain projects in Bagan and Butterworth on the mainland which had been highlighted by Umno Youth.

"Maybe the feedback the state government obtains is unclear on certain matters, so they have to let us know so we can act faster," Koh said.

"We are all in the same team and we have overcome many problems and issues before. We can work these out together."

On the poverty margin, Penang has one of the lowest in the country at 0.3% of the population compared with other states.

On SMEs in the state, Koh said the state government was looking at setting up a state-level SME development council, similar to the national body headed by the prime minister.

He said there is an urgent need for multinational corporations and large local corporations which are SMEs themselves to go all-out on mentoring the up-and-coming SMEs to enhance their competitive edge in the global arena.