KOTA KINABALU, 5 May 2009: The Barisan Nasional (BN) supreme council will decide whether the party should contest the Penanti State seat in Penang on 31 May, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said.
“I don’t think it (Penanti) is only an Umno issue because when we contest, we do so on the Barisan Nasional ticket.
“We are in no hurry to decide. We are a party that works very hard to look after the people’s welfare,” he said at a press conference, here today.
Najib, who is also the BN chairperson, said the decision on the BN’s position on Penanti would be made in the near future.
The Penanti seat fell vacant after the former Penang Deputy Chief Minister I, Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin, 33, from Parti Keadilan Rakyat stepped down to pursue further studies.
When asked to comment on the decision of the Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Raymond Tan, and the Elopura state assemblyperson, Au Kam Wah, to join Parti Gerakan, Najib said both had met with him and Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman yesterday on the matter.
“Raymond (Tan) said that after giving it serious thought, he had decided to join Gerakan for several reasons.
“Among them, Gerakan is a multiracial party and he could project himself as a multiracial leader and all his supporters can join the party together with him,” Najib said.
On Tan’s position in the state cabinet, the Prime Minister said the matter would be decided later.
“We will leave it to the Chief Minister’s prerogative, subsequently the Chief Minister will make his suggestion to me,” he added. — Bernama
Eric says
Heard this before? Second postponement.
Flip-flop, flip-flop, flip-flop … Abdullah may have left, but looks like his decision-making method is here to stay.