This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on February 23, 2016.

GEORGE TOWN: Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali should know that state government decisions should be followed by members of the ruling party or coalition, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said yesterday, amid a fallout between DAP and PKR over the sacking of two Penang PKR assemblymen from state government-linked companies (GLCs).

Guan Eng said Penang did not want a situation like that in Selangor under former menteri besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim when the non-implementation of party decisions led to a political crisis.

The DAP secretary-general said he believes Mohamed Azmin upholds the principle that collective decisions must be followed through.

“When Khalid did not implement decisions made by his party, PKR had him sacked. DAP respected PKR’s decision.

“I believe Azmin upholds this principle. I hope he can understand,” Guan Eng told a press conference yesterday at the Penang Development Corp (PDC) Chinese New Year open house.

Guan Eng was asked about Mohamed Azmin’s statement that PKR was unhappy with the sacking of its two assemblymen— Kebun Bunga’s Cheah Kah Peng and Bukit Tengah’s Ong Chin Wen — from Penang Hill Corp, investPenang and Island Golf Properties Bhd, a subsidiary of state investment arm PDC.

Mohamed Azmin said PKR had sent a letter to the Penang government on the matter.

The duo were among five PKR assemblymen who abstained from voting against a Barisan Nasional motion on land reclamation during the state legislative assembly last November.

Guan Eng, who chairs the state agencies, said the state government had yet to receive the letter from Mohamed Azmin.

Mohamed Azmin might not be fully aware of what was happening in Penang, he added.

Guan Eng also said he was “a little surprised” that Mohamed Azmin had raised the matter publicly because all this while issues within the Pakatan Harapan coalition had been discussed privately.

“In the state executive council (exco), the parties have their own exco members to discuss issues,” he said, adding that Mohamed Azmin also did not bring up the matter when they met last week at a Council of Rulers event.

On whether he would consider appeals made for Cheah and Ong, Guan Eng said he wants to see whether there is any explanation for their action.

“I understand that their party had asked them to meet me but they have yet to do that.

“We just cannot operate in this manner ... we cannot have a system where people agree in a meeting but make a different decision outside. That is back-stabbing,” Guan Eng said. — The Malaysian Insider