I refer to the Malaysikini report Protest staged outside Penang state assembly . In my opinion, this is what Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's response should have been:

‘First off, I would like to congratulate the police force for their utmost professionalism in exercising restraint and tolerance in the face of a demonstration by concerned members of the public.

‘We are thankful that the police force has recognised the importance of freedom of assembly as enshrined under the Federal Constitution.

‘Let us hope that the police force exercise the same degree of patience and understanding when faced with other protests in the future, be they from Pakatan Rakyat, Barisan Nasional or other groups of concerned citizens in Malaysia.

‘Secondly, I would like to personally thank Penang BN Youth Chief Norman Zahalan for airing his grievances towards the state government. We very much value and appreciate all kinds of feedback from members of the public.

‘Based on the grievances aired by the demonstrators today, let me assure them that the state government is studying them and will do everything in it's power to rectify any mistakes or oversights.

‘We would like to apologise if any of our actions have hurt any parties, as it was not our intention to do so.

‘Having said that, we would very much appreciate if future demonstrations take place in an orderly and civilised manner so as not to inconvenience members of the public with noise and traffic jams.

‘We would also very much appreciate it if the complainants forward their opinions in a constructive manner rather complaining and whining in a non-constructive manner. As I say, we welcome all constructive criticisms from members of the public.

‘We look forward to having more constructive dialog with members of the opposition. Thank you for your cooperation.’