KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 22): Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali should know that state government decisions should be followed by members of the ruling party or coalition, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said today, amid fallout over the sacking of two Penang PKR reps from state government-linked companies.
Lim said Penang did not want a situation like what happened in Selangor under former menteri besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, who did not implement party decisions.
But the DAP secretary-general said he believed Azmin upheld the same principle that collective decisions must be followed through.
"When Khalid did not implement decisions made by his party, PKR had him sacked. DAP respected PKR's decision.
"I believe Azmin upholds this principle. I hope he can understand," Lim he told a press conference today at the Penang Development Corporation Chinese New Year open house.
Lim was asked about Azmin's statement that PKR was unhappy with the sacking of its two Penang reps – Kebun Bunga rep Cheah Kah Peng and Bukit Tengah rep Ong Chin Wen – from the Penang Hill Corporation, investPenang and Island Golf Properties Bhd, a subsidiary of state investment arm Penang Development Corporation.
Azmin said PKR had sent a letter to the Penang government on the matter.
The duo were among five PKR assemblymen who abstained from voting against a Barisan Nasional (BN) motion on land reclamation during the state legislative assembly last November.
Lim, who chairs the state agencies, said the state government had yet to receive the letter.
He also said Azmin might not be fully aware of what was happening in Penang.
He added he was "a little surprised" that Azmin had raised the matter publicly because all this while issues within the Pakatan Harapan coalition had been discussed privately.
He said it was a tradition for the parties in the coalition not to interfere with the affairs of the respective states they administered.
"We have this mutual respect. Have you seen me commenting on matters of another Pakatan governed state? I only spoke about Kelantan after PAS ceased to be ally.
"In the state executive councils, the parties have their own exco members to discuss issues," he said, adding that Azmin also did not bring up the matter to him when they met last week at a Council of Rulers event.
On whether he would consider appeals made for Cheah and Ong, Lim said he wanted to see whether there was any explanation for their actions.
"I understand that their party had asked them to meet me but they have yet to do that.
"We just cannot operate in this manner... we cannot have a system where people agree in a meeting but make a different decision outside. That is backstabbing," Lim said.