Gag order on Penang BN chairman issue

(Bernama) - Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has issued an order to all Barisan Nasional parties to stop debating the attempt by Penang Umno to force Gerakan to give up the state BN chairmanship.

“No more debates about this,” was Najib’s reply to questions from journalists on the matter, which had been hogging the pages of almost all major newspapers in the country.

Najib, who is also the BN chairman, said this after chairing the sixth Malaysian Aerospace Council meeting here today.

On Saturday, the Penang Umno liaison committee said the state BN chairmanship, currently held by Gerakan, should be given to Umno, the largest political party in the country, as it had more seats in the Penang state assembly than Gerakan did.

But Gerakan refused to give in as it felt that it was the prerogative of the BN chairman to decide on the matter.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and Gerakan president Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon is presently the state BN chief.

Yesterday, speaking to reporters at a function in Shah Alam, Najib said the state Umno’s request was merely a view and that any decision taken on the matter would be in “the BN spirit of consensus.”