GEORGE TOWN: Gerakan has come out strongly to condemn the seditious and racist remarks made by state opposition leader Datuk Azhar Ibrahim during the Penang legislative assembly sitting on Thursday.

In a statement, Gerakan secretary-general and Penang Gerakan Vice Chairman Teng Chang Yeow said Gerakan is utterly aghast with remarks made by the Barisan Nasional (BN) assemblyman.

While Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was winding up on the debate on the motion of thanks to the Tuan Yang Dipertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas, Azhar had threatened a repeat of May 13 and called for the army to take over from the police.

The five-term assemblyman also claimed the Malay triad organisation "tiga line" would be called in to "teach" the state government a lesson.

Azhar went on to accuse Lim of being anti-Malay and anti-Muslim, an accusation which other Umno leaders in Penang had also leveled against Gerakan President Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, the former chief minister.

"His statements are seditious, racist and outrageous and uncalled for. It can also disrupt the racial harmony currently enjoyed by Malaysians since Malaysia gained independence in 1957.

"We strongly condemn such remarks, particularly coming from a senior Umno leader in Penang.

"Such remarks do not reflect the kind of democracy that Barisan Nasional stands for," said Teng in a statement.

"The remarks not only contained elements of sedition but also reflected a poor judgment of an Umno leader of the sentiments amongst the general public towards BN and Umno as a whole in Penang," Teng said.

He added that Azhar's remarks not only lowered his standing as an opposition leader, but also the standing of all BN component parties in the state.

Teng said the electorate in Penang had a strong anti-BN stance due mainly to such grossly unnecessary remarks that portrayed arrogance of power and ignorance of the feeling of the general public at large.