Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he would leave it to Gerakan to act against its former deputy secretary-general Lee Kah Choon, who has accepted a director’s post in the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) and InvestPenang.

Gerakan, a component party in Barisan Nasional (BN), had been leading the Penang government up to the March 8 general election, when it fell into Pakatan Rakyat hands.

bn mp retreat 190408 abdullah pak lah “It is for the party to decide. It is up to Penang BN to do what they want as long as there is no clash in policy,” he said at a brief press conference after attending a function in Kuala Lumpur today.

"We leave this to the relevant party. For me, there is no need (to take up the position). I (would have) say thank you," he said.

When asked whether Lee's decision would herald a "new era" in cooperation between BN and Pakatan, Abdullah said: "Perh aps this opens ways for cooperation."

Abdullah, who is also BN chairperson, was commenting on Lee’s acceptance of the offer to join the two key investment development agencies in the Penang government.

Lee, formerly the member of Parliament for Jelutong, had resigned from all party posts after Gerakan’s humiliating defeat in Penang in the March 8 general election.

Abdullah’s response today appeared to contradict his deputy Najib Abdul Razak who had told the press yesterday that Lee’s action was “against the spirit of Barisan Nasional”.

However, Abdullah seemed to change his stand later today. According to a report by Bernama , Abdullah said Lee’s decision was also "against the spirit of BN".

Abdullah told Bernama that Lee should rightfully have consulted his party first.

“I want to hear the views of Gerakan acting president on this matter. Any action against Lee would be left to the party,” he said.

The Bernama report appeared in its website four hours after the press conference.

Second Penang bridge delayed?

To another question, Abdullah said “a lot” of projects under the Ninth Malaysia Plan are undergoing review.

penang second link bridge 030408 01 However, he would not confirm or deny reports that the construction of the second Penang bridge has been delayed for another nine months.

Instead, Abdullah said the federal government is reviewing the bridge design and looking at the increase in the cost of construction materials.

According to The Edge Daily , the cost of the project has ballooned from RM3.6 billion to RM4.3 billion and is being scrutinised by government-appointed consultants.

The report said the new state government, which oversees land matters, wants to bring down the cost to make it cheaper for motorists to use it eventually. This may include a possible realignment of the bridge.

Watch 3-min video of PM's press conference