Gerakan will leave the matter of the burning of a portrait of Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng during a demonstration outside the state legislative assembly building on Monday to the police to investigate.

Party president Dr Koh Tsu Koon said Gerakan would not want to interfere in police's investigation into the case.

"In order not interfere in the ongoing police investigations, Gerakan has decided not to form any committee to investigate the matter," he told reporters.

'Uncivilised political culture'

He said the party was against "uncivilised political culture" including burning effigies of politicians or stamping on posters bearing their faces.

NONE "I suppose the burning of the chief minister's portrait was not done by someone from a Barisan Nasional component party as we do not practice such a culture," he said.

Koh, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, said the act might have been done by someone from Kg Buah Pala village who was participating in the demonstration.

However, it is learnt that an MIC Youth leader and a PPP Youth leader were called in for questioning by the police today over the incident.

On Monday, some 100 people demonstrated in front of the building while a sitting of the state assembly was going on. - Bernama