The Penang government postponed two of its official functions today, after receiving two court injunctions from the police.

Lim said the new dates were approved by the police when he met with Penang police chief Ayub Yaakob last night.

He said he had also expressed his dissatisfaction with Ayub for obtaining the injunctions without consulting with him first, since he was the chief minister of the state.

NONE "I am not happy that the police had applied for the court order without even talking to me, as I am the rightful CM of Penang, voted in by the people," he told reporters at Komtar today.

"We have always carried out state government events smoothly, without any problem, as we organise these events within the state government premises," he added.

"Therefore, holding an official function tonight should not have been an issue," he added.

Lim said Pakatan Rakyat was the rightful ruler of the state since March 8, 2008, and expressed hope that the principles of democracy and rule of law would be respected.

State, police must maintain good relationship

He said the state has been advised by lawyer Gobind Singh Deo that the injunction could not be reviewed by the High Court, but the decision could be appealed through the normal process of law.

"But this will take a long time. I hope both the state and police can maintain a mature and good relationship to ensure public peace and safety," he said.

Lim received the two court injunctions, issued by magistrate's courts in George Town and Bukit Mertajam, from George Town OCPD Gan Kong Meng.

The ban comes ahead of the July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally in Kuala Lumpur, which police have warned the public not to participate in.

The two simultaneous events in Penang were supposed to be carnival-like, with performances and political talks in the programmes.

Speakers included Pakatan Rakyat heavyweights such as Lim himself, PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar and Bersih 2.0 chief Ambiga Sreenevasan.

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