Transmenu powered by JoomlArt.com - Mambo Joomla Professional Templates Club

KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 — Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng dismissed today talk that his ties with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had again been strained by reports that the de facto PKR chief plans to nominate the winner of the Penanti by-election as the new deputy chief minister.

The chief minister described as mere speculation and “media spin” the controversy sparked by reports that Anwar had once again failed to consult Lim on the matter of the DCM.

Since Penanti assemblyman Fairus Khairuddin’s resignation as deputy chief minister amid graft allegations, relations between the DAP and PKR have suffered.

Anwar’s delay in nominating another PKR lawmaker to fill the DCM post had placed tremendous public pressure on Lim.

And when Fairus resigned as assemblyman, Lim was upset he had not even been informed before hand.

Lim said today he would not be seeking any clarification from Anwar over reports that have suggested if PKR wins the by-election, the winner would be named the new DCM.

“Has Anwar made the statement publicly?

“He has not made any formal announcement so there is no need for me to respond to such speculations nor should I seek clarification from him,” he told reporters here after a party function.

Anwar had reportedly apologised to Lim earlier for not informing the chief minister about Fairus’s resignation as Penanti assemblyman.

The spat appears to have publicly damaged the image of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners with Barisan Nasional (BN) critics capitalising on the issue.

BN politicians have been accusing Lim of being Anwar’s puppet and are attempting to drive a wedge between the PR parties.

But both Lim and PKR leaders are now attempting to downplay the controversy.

Today, Lim, who is also DAP secretary-general, said it was not appropriate for him and his party to make further comments about the matter as the Election Commission (EC) had yet to decide if there would be a by-election there.

“Let’s wait for the EC to announce it first before we make any kind of comment,” he said.

The EC is scheduled to announce its decision on Penanti on Monday.

Despite repeated denials, speculation is rife that Fairus could retract his resignation.

Earlier this week, Fairus was cleared of corruption allegations by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).