The Penang chief minister's post will not be rotated among the various Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties, said Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today.

"In principle, there are no changes regarding the issue for now," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

The premier was responding to a resolution by the Nibong Tebal Umno division Youth wing, which was first reported by malaysiakini , calling for the rotation.

On Thursday, Penang Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Khoon reminded Umno Youth to be careful in voicing out its opinion on the matter and asked the movement to carry out an in-depth study.

Koh, who is also Gerakan vice-president, said the rotation call should not be made into a political issue by any quarters.

Malays dissatisfied?

Commenting on this today, Umno Youth chief Hishamuddin Hussein called on Koh to analyse what had led the Nibong Tebal wing to make the call.

According to him, there could be something which is not right in the relationship between the state leadership and Umno Youth.

Hishamuddin said he was in the dark as to why the resolution came about but did not rule out the possibility that it could be related to the dissatisfaction of the Malays in Penang.

Responding to this, Koh said he was willing to discuss the issue with Hishamuddin but dismissed the notion that the Malays in Penang were dissatisfied.

Ulterior motive

Meanwhile, Gerakan president Dr Lim Keng Yaik warned all quarters against playing with issues that can stoke racial tensions.

While noting that some people could have ulterior motives, Lim cited a Malay proverb to illustrate his point: " Ada udang sebalik batu " (There is a prawn behind the rock).

The seasoned politician, who is known for his witty remarks, then added: " Apa yang kita boleh buat ialah alihkan batu tersebut dan makan semua udang itu ." (What we can do is move the rock and eat all the prawns).

On Aug 9, Nibong Tebal Umno Youth chief Shafie Kassim told malaysiakini that there were no racial motives behind the resolution.