PKR’s Machang Bubuk assemblyperson said his party fully explain the discussion over the Penang candidacy for GE13, leaked in a blog posting this week.

The rep Tan Hock Leong said this when asked about the controversial meeting with Penang deputy CM Mansor Othman, in which Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had allegedly been called arrogant and cocky.

NONE Among the matters discussed in that meeting is said to be the replacing of Tan with a younger candidate.

Mansor is reported to have confirmed at that meeting that all other PKR Chinese reps for the state would be retained except for Tan.

The 57-year-old rep ( left in ph oto) however said he has yet to receive any confirmation of the matter from the party’s central leadership.

Speaking to Malaysiakini yesterday, Tan said he will not allow his age to be made an issue.

“If what has been reported is true, that is I am being sidelined and that the decision has been made, they’d better have a (good) reason.

“If it is because of my age, then all (Penang) PKR candidates following this must be younger than I,” he said.

‘Age doesn’t matter’

Addmitting that he had once suffered a mild stroke, he insisted that it did not affect his work as a state rep and a deputy speaker.

“I still carry out my work. I attend and chair state sittings, and I have fulfilled all my responsibilities.

“The only thing I cannot do, is run. There are many other assemblypersons who are healthy like me, but who also cannot run,” he said, laughing.

lim guan eng visit kampung batu uban 210812 mansor othman He said he could not see PKR as a party who would use health as a reason to drop him, because that would be tantamount to “looking down on the disabled.”

Tan added that he had worked to build the party in Penang since 2005 while it was still weak and had not taken root in the northern state.

The meeting, which Mansor ( right ) had said was an informal one and not a “strategic party meeting” as had been reported in the blog that had exposed the unflattering remarks on Lim.

Yesterday at a press conference he also denied making the unflattering remarks, adding that he only said “tokong” in relation to the Penang chief minister, which he explained was meant as a compliment.

Mansor said the recording and leaking of the proceedings was malicious and was “aimed at destroying the good relations between PKR and DAP”.