Spurned by Barisan Nasional (BN) parties during pre-election seat negotiations, Penang PPP will be 'compensated' with two municipal councillor positions this year.

To realise this, Gerakan and Umno are expected to 'sacrifice' a seat each in the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) and Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP) respectively.

The latest development will console PPP members in Penang who were upset that the party had failed to be allocated a single seat in the last election despite the state having two new parliamentary and seven new state seats.

Confirming this, Penang PPP chief Dr J Logabalan Mohan described the move as a "demonstration of the coalition's concept of power sharing among its component parties".

"The news will please our 14,000 party members who were disappointed when the party was refused an electoral seat," he said.

The party expects an official written acknowledgment soon from the state government on the appointment.

MPPP and MPSP have 24 councillors each. At present the councillor ratio among Umno, Gerakan, MCA and MIC in MPPP is nine, seven, four and two while in MPSP it is 11, six, three and one respectively.

Appointment of councillors are made at the beginning of each year but for this year, all MPPP and MPSP councillors were given a six-month extension when their tenure expired in January.

PM gives assurance

Meanwhile, Logabalan said Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has assured the councillor seats for PPP during a meeting with BN elected representatives here on March 27.

"He (Abdullah) had agreed that Umno and Gerakan would give up a councillor seat each for PPP.

"It's in a way of compensating us," he added.

Following PPP's failure to contest in any seats in the state, rumours abounded that disgruntled members would hop over to other BN parties, namely MIC.

Several party insiders had even predicted that Logabalan's position could come under threat due to his failure to even stand in a state seat.

However, the councillor positions has injected a new lease of life into the embattled party.

"We can better serve the people now," said Logabalan, who declined to reveal the PPP candidates short-listed for the appointments.

A Veeranggan is malaysiakini 's Penang-based stringer.