Monday April 13, 2009

New Penang DCM to be named on Wednesday

BUTTERWORTH: The name of the new Deputy Chief Minister I will be announced on Wednesday, said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

He said he had given PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim until then to make a decision.

Either one: Abdul Malik (left) and Maktar are the only two Malay PKR assemblymen in Penang.

“Anwar asked to be given until today to make a decision but I decided to give him three more days.

“Although it is my prerogative to appoint the candidate, in the spirit of camaraderie, I will respect Anwar’s decision,” he told reporters after an oath-taking ceremony by the northeast and southwest Village Security and Development Committee members at the Caring Society Complex yesterday.

The post was left vacant after Penanti assemblyman Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin resigned.

Lim said it was up to Anwar to choose the best candidate since the post belonged to a Malay PKR assemblyman.

In Penanti, Anwar said PKR had decided on the candidate and would submit the name to Lim today.

“We will forward the name of the candidate as soon as possible, maybe tomorrow, the earliest,” he told reporters before chairing the committee’s meeting at Yayasan Aman yesterday.

Anwar confirmed that two names had been proposed. They are state executive councillor Abdul Malik Abdul Kassim, who is also Batu Maung state assemblyman and Sungai Bakap state assemblyman Maktar Shapee.

Abdul Malik and Maktar are the only two Malay PKR state assemblymen in Penang besides Fairus.

Earlier in Sungai Petani, Anwar brushed aside Barisan Nasional’s accusation that Pakatan Rakyat’s shadow Cabinet was a plan by the Opposition to topple the Government.

“Let them say what they want to say. Look at what happened in Perak. They are the ones who have taken over the government,” he told a press conference after opening the Bukit Selambau assembly area service centre at Taman Ria Jaya yesterday.

Fairus is under investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency.

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