Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has asked his embattled chief of staff Jeff Ooi to retract his statement against Jemaah Islah Malaysia (JIM) if it is deemed to be inappropriate.

NONE He was of the view that JIM is not an extremist outfit, as implied by Ooi's outburst against one of its members, who is also a PKR local councillor Mohd Razali Abdullah.

Ooi, who is away to Hong Kong on an official visit, responded to Lim's advice later in the day by stating that he would oblige with the chief minister's directive.

"I have been advised by DAP secretary-general and Penang CM Lim Guan Eng that JIM is not an extreme organisation...

"(And) that it is appropriate to withdraw my statement published in the Star on Aug 2, and move on.

"As such, I shall fully oblige with the directive," he said in a statement.

However Ooi said that for the sake of clarity, it was imperative to establish the relevant context to the matter.

He said that Mohd Razali's appointment and his behaviour during the council meetings had become a political burden for the state government.

"We will now deal with him and his continued presence in the council's one-stop-centre through the political avenues.

"Hence, it is also imperative that all parties concerned should immediately stop the usual religious profiling accorded unto DAP leaders," he added.

Ooi's comments had led 27 Muslim non-governmental organisations to submit a memorandum demanding for an apology. A similar memorandum was submitted by Penang PKR Youth today.

Penang DAPSY backs JIM

Meanwhile the Penang DAP Youth wing also ploughed pressure on Ooi for dragging JIM into his tiff with Mohd Razali.

The wing's secretary Ng Wei Aik said it was inappropriate for Ooi to have involved JIM in the matter.

"For us, JIM is a registered body with whom we have had a good working relationship," said Ng in a statement today.

He added that JIM was not an extremist organisation as claimed by Ooi.

"We take serious note over his remarks that have caused anger among the Muslim community.

"We however believe it was not his intention to cause hurt to the Muslim community through his remarks," he added.

Ng hoped that the relationship between DAP and JIM will not be strained as a result of Ooi's stand against JIM.

Ooi's outburst against Mohd Razali

jeff ooi Ooi, the DAP parliamentarian for Jelutong, had recently engaged in verbal war with Mohd Razali over alleged delays in making a decision on certain development applications.

According to a report in the Star , Ooi lashed out at two PKR municipal councillors - one of whom was Mohd Razali - calling one a "mad man" and the other a ponteng (truant) councillor.

Mohd Razali, an engineer, retorted that Ooi had no authority to intervene. Ooi hit the roof, referring to Mohd Razali - a member of JIM - as a "religious extremist".

Going a step further, Ooi made a printout of literature from JIM's website, which states that the organisation's mission statement is to develop Malaysia into a country which fully adopts Syariah law by 2020.

NONE He claimed that the state had set a dangerous precedent by allowing an "extremist religious activist" to infiltrate the local government system, and urged Lim and state exco Chow Kon Yeow (handling local government affairs) to deal with the matter.

Yesterday a coalition representing 27 Muslim organisations protested against Ooi at the chief minister's office, calling for Ooi to apologise for his remarks, failing which the chief minister must sack him.