DAP Penang

Press Statement by Jeff Ooi in Jelutong on Thursday, 4th June 2009:

PKR councillors who defied outright the appointment of the new president for Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) should resign from their appointed posts immediately, said MP for Jelutong, Jeff Ooi.

He said the position of the council president is not to be misconstrued as the fiefdom of PKR or any political party.

“PKR councillors must submit to the fact that, under prevailing circumstances, the appointment of council president is the prerogative and right of the state government,” he added.

Ooi was referring to PKR’s MPSP councillors who boycotted the swearing-in ceremony of new president Mokhtar Mohd Jait this morning as a show of protest of his appointment.

PKR whip and councillor Johari Kassim insisted that the post should be allocated to the PKR, threatening that councillors from his party were also considering resigning.

A day before, Johari slammed Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for failing to consult the party when deciding on the appointment.

Johari was quoted in the Press as saying that “This is a Pakatan Rakyat government – not a DAP government. How can he do this? He is running the state as if it is his own backyard.”

Ooi demanded Jahari and other PKR councillors who defied the state government’s dicisionon the appointment to resign within the next 24 hours, failing which they can be subjected to an inquiry for indiscipline.

“If they remain defiant, and insisted they had no confidence in the new president, how can they possibly perform their duties as expected of councillors who are paid allowances derived from ratepayers?”

“Municipal councillors were appointed based on recommendations by the respective parties as this is the interim practice before laws are being amended to accommodate local elections,” Ooi said.

“The present state government is accountable only to the people, and thus PKR cannot regard the post of council presidents as personal-to-holder fiefdom to any political parties, be it PKR or DAP,” he added.

Ooi said he will forward a collective memorandum from all the DAP elected representatives to refer the nine PKR councillors for a review at the state Exco.

* Jeff Ooi Chuan Aun, MP for Jelutong