Penang Gerakan chief Dato’ Dr Teng Hock Nan has expressed regret and disappointment that Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had twisted his words in blaming the people of Penang for the Barisan Nasional’s loss in the general elections in 2008.

Dr Teng said it was also unfair for Lim, who is also DAP secretary-general, to describe him (Dr Teng) as a bad loser.

“When we lost in the general elections, we said many times that we fully respected the decision of the people. We also gentlemanly passed over the mantle of the state government to the DAP. Our words and actions are testimony of our sincerity in accepting the people’s decision,” said Dr Teng, adding that photographs of former Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon gentlemanly handing over the state’s mantle to Lim were splashed all over in the newspapers then.

Dr Teng said from his observation, there seemed to be an effort to adopt the same tactic similar to that of “cultural revolution” in Communist China where the political rivals were ostracized, victimized and out-casted till nobody dared to speak out.

“We don’t want it to happen in Penang where people may be guided into blind loyalty to a particular person,” Dr Teng added.