Parti Keadilan Rakyat leaders are being disrespectful to Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, by asking him to stop discussing the matter of his former deputy in public, said Gerakan.

Penang Gerakan Secretary Ong Thean Lye said the resignation of Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin as deputy CM 1 and as Penanti assemblyman was of public interest. “Fairus was elected by the people to be their assemblyman, so the public has the right to know what’s happening to him,” said Ong in a statement.

“It is a pity that Lim is now being gagged from talking about the issue. Lim said he respected PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim but the same could not be said of PKR leaders towards Lim,” said Ong.

Ong also expressed surprise that no DAP leaders had so far come out to support Lim over such an important issue. “Perhaps, the leaders are disappointed with Lim for not making the DAP’s stand clear.”

Yesterday, PKR deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali and the party’s Penang chief Datuk Zahrain Hashim said that as a partner in the ruling coalition in Penang, it was not proper for Lim to voice out his dissatisfaction in the media.

“As a member of the pact, why can’t he discuss directly with Anwar on Fairus’ successor as DCM 1 and Penanti assemblyman?” Zahrain told Bernama yesterday.

Lim had on Sunday said that he was “not happy” with the way things had unravelled leading up to Fairus’s resignation as Penanti assemblyman.

Yesterday, Lim said he was aware critics had labeled him as dang jia bu dang quan (a person who has position but without power).