The already election fatigued Malaysian public may yet again see another contest, this time in the Jawi state seat in Penang.

Its embattled assemblyperson Tan Beng Huat has submitted an undated resignation letter to the party leadership.

In the letter, the first-time elected rep said he would vacate his seat should be found guilty with regards to an on-going graft probe.

His 'quit notice' sparked off rumours of another by-election in Penang, less than two weeks after the Penanti by-election on May 31.

tan beng huat resign as jawi state rep penang lim guan eng dap 110609 05 Penang had another by-election in the Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency last August.

State DAP chairperson Chow Kon Yeow ( far right ) confirmed that he received the letter from Tan ( far left ) this morning and would hand it over to chief minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.

He said Tan submitted the resignation letter on a voluntary basis "to demonstrate his competence and sense of accountability" over the graft allegation raised by a party colleague from Nibong Tebal.

Tan, 48, who joined DAP five years ago, told a press conference later that he had submitted the resignation letter as a 'warranty' if he was charged over the graft allegation.

However, he denied the corruption charge and said his conscience was clear.

He accused his rivals of cooking up a story merely to embarrass him and the Pakatan Rakyat government.

"It's probably due to political jealousy," he said.

Karaoke set fiasco

Nibong Tebal DAP divison chief Teh Hock Yong lodged a report a couple of months ago against Tan with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

jawi state seat 110609 He alleged that Tan had misappropriated RM2,000 state allocation when purchasing a karaoke set for a Nibong Tebal-based charity organisation, Persatuan Amal Chin Chee Kok.

Teh alleged that the set, bought for the MCA-dominated charity organisation, was only worth RM450.

However, Tan claimed that he approved the allocation in order for the South Seberang Perai (SPS) district office to purchase a 39-inch television set, a DVD player and an air-conditioning unit.

"I did not touch a single sen of the allocation. The state treasury directly reimbursed the sum for the district office.

"I only approved it under my constituency allocation and was never involved in the purchase deal," he said.

Teh gave a statement to MACC in April while Tan’s was recorded some three weeks ago.

'We've nothing to hide'

Speaking at a press conference in a hotel in Georgetown today, Chief Minister Lim said neither he nor Chow were aware about the case given that Teh did not inform the leadership about it.

However, he said the party would not prevent any members from lodging reports with MACC against any malpractices.

tan beng huat resign as jawi state rep penang lim guan eng dap 110609 04 He insisted that the state government would not sweep the issue under the carpet.

Although the amount involved was small, Lim said the state government was committed to uphold its CAT principle of competency, accountability and transparency, and integrity of his governance.

"We are transparent and have nothing to hide… nothing to fear," he stressed.

He said Teh's decision to lodge a report with MACC demonstrated the state government’s honesty and sincerity.

"If the authority has a case and can justify it, it is up to it to take further action. This is the difference between a CAT government and a Barisan Nasional government.

"We won't hesitate to take stern action including sacking those involved in wrongdoings," he added.

Yesterday, Teh claimed that he had informed Lim and Chow about the matter but was purportedly told to keep it hushed because the fledgling state government was not ready for a by-election.

Tan defeated MCA's Tan Cheng Liang by a 3,790-vote margin in 2008 general election.

Its learnt that several former aides of Cheng Liang were in control of Chin Chee Kok's management, prompting rumours of the local MCA leadership’s involvement behind the graft allegation.

No MCA involvement

When contacted, Cheng Liang blew her top and flatly dismissed the rumours of MCA involvement.

She rebuked local DAP leaders for shifting the blame on others to conceal their own lack of competence and accountability.

She demanded on local DAP leaders to tackle the issue in hand and put their house in order first before pointing fingers at other innocent parties.

"The local DAP leaders are simply dragging MCA in to cover up their own internal problems.

"For record, the report was lodged by a local DAP leader (Teh), not MCA," she said.

She also claimed that the Jawi constituents were upset with Tan over the manner he had handled some issues.

Cheng Liang, the Penang Port Commission chairperson, said Tan now should clear his name and come out clean from the graft allegation.

She said Pakatan coalition had not proved worth of its words after assuming power in Penang, alleging some elected representatives of commiting many wrongdoings in past 14 months.