KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 – The opposition bloc does not appear to be any closer to forming a stable common platform by year end, judging from the latest explosive volley launched from the DAP camp at its PKR partner today.
DAP chairman Karpal Singh (picture) publicly ticked off PKR’s Penang Youth chief, Yusmadi Yusoff, for raising the issue of who should be the island state’s next chief minister.
Penang’s chief minister position has traditionally been reserved for the Chinese community, who make up the state’s largest ethnic population – at least on the island side.
“We have the majority. The DAP should be chief minister,” the veteran politician told reporters in court this afternoon, throwing his weight behind his party’s youth wing in criticising Yusmadi.
“PKR, through its youth movement in Penang, should not rock the boat,” Karpal, who is a Penangite, added.
He pointed that his party had likewise not tried to claim the Selangor mentri besar’s chair because PKR, which won the biggest share of votes in the state in last year’s general elections, held the right.
Yusmadi, who is also Balik Pulau MP, was recently reported to have said that the Penang chief minister’s position should be rotated among the three political parties that make up Pakatan Rakyat (PR).
He denied making such a claim in his blog (blog.yusmadi.com) yesterday.
But Karpal remained dissatisfied and wants Opposition Leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, to step in and “clear the air” over this issue.
The Bukit Gelugor MP questioned if Yusmadi had been given the “mandate” to speak for Anwar’s justice party.
He insists that Anwar must “make sure that no minor official in PKR” makes any further claims that would strain the ties among the three PR partners.
Karpal said that a state’s chief executive should be chosen based on merit and not skin colour or creed.
“It is on merit as far as Penang is concerned at the moment,” the senior lawyer stressed.
He added that not only were the majority Chinese community in the island state but the Malays and Indians, too, were satisfied with DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng’s performance as chief minister.
“He’s a much better man than Dr Koh Tsu Koon,” Karpal quipped, referring to the Gerakan leader and ex-chief minister.
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