Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak does not want Barisan Nasional component parties to "debate" on Penang Umno's request to be given the state BN chairmanship.

"No more debates about this," was Najib's reply to questions from journalists on the matter, which had been hogging the pages of almost all major newspapers in the country.

NONE Najib, who is also the BN chairperson, said this after chairing the sixth Malaysian Aerospace Council meeting today.

On Saturday, the Penang Umno liaison committee said that the state BN chairmanship, currently held by Gerakan, should be given to Umno, the largest political party in the country, as it had more seats in the Penang state assembly compared with Gerakan.

This subsequently earned a rebuttal from Gerakan, which felt that it was the prerogative of the prime minister and BN chairperson to decide on the matter.

In response, Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon said the party respected the advice from prime minister Najib to stop open discussion on the tussle for the post of Penang BN chairperson.

Speaking to reporters at the Parliament lobby, Koh, who is also the Penang BN chairperson, said the prime minister had also advised everyone concerned on the matter.

Yesterday, speaking to reporters at a function in Shah Alam, Najib said that the state Umno's request was merely a view, and nothing more, and any decision taken (on the matter) would be in the BN spirit of consensus.

Najib was also quoted as saying that he would meet all the necessary parties on the issue, and any decision to be taken would be based on the BN spirit of consensus.

MCA backs Gerakan

Meanwhile, the Penang MCA does not think that the defeat of the BN in the state in the general election last year should be used as an excuse by Umno to take over the state BN chairmanship from Gerakan.

Deputy chairperson Eng Hiap Boon said today "win or lose, we are under the BN and we should bear the responsibility together instead of pointing fingers at any political party after we have lost".

All the 11 state seats won by the BN in Penang in the general election are held by Umno. The opposition Pakatan Rakyat parties of DAP, PKR and PAS won the other 29 seats of the 40-seat state legislative assembly and now administer the state government.

Many non-Malays voted for Umno in the 11 state seats and two parliamentary seats which Umno won in the general election, Eng told Bernama when asked to comment on a statement by Penang Umno chief Ahmad Zahid Hamidi that Umno should assume the state BN chairmanship as the party held all the seats won by the BN in the state in the last general election.

Eng said the state chairmanship should not be held by a non-Chinese as the culture and population in Penang was mainly Chinese.

"In order to understand the politics and the grassroots issues in Penang, the BN chairmanship should be held by a Chinese," he said.

MIC: Principle bigger than personality

Penang MIC state chief PK Subbaiyah said the principle of the BN leadership in Penang was more important than the personality.

"Whoever leads the BN in the state must be able to recapture the Penang state government and work for the people," he said.

He said the capability of a leader was more important than any other factor as it would help the BN to recapture the state from the opposition.

Penang People's Progressive Party (PPP) chairperson Loga Bala Mohan said the issue should not have been raised in public.

"It should be raised at the state BN meeting or the BN supreme council meeting," he said, adding that it was untimely for Ahmad Zahid to raise it now as any decision could only be made by Najib.

- Bernama