Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today said Penang BN chairman Teng Chang Yeow can be a candidate for the post of Chief Minister if BN recapture Penang.

He said this in his speech after launching the Blue Wave campaign and 1Malaysia People's Gathering at the Taman Inderawasih Secondary School field in Perai, Butterworth, tonight.

He claimed BN had qualified leaders to run the state better.

"BN has many plans to develop Penang, including building more affordable homes to overcome the problem of housing in the state, and also numerous other development projects.

"Currently, many development projects planned under the federal government's agencies or departments face problems to get approval from the state government, as such, give BN the chance to administer the state again for the security of the people," he said.

More than 30,000 people attended. Many were quite overwhelmed by the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in their own backyard.

Retired teacher Loh Thiam Sam, 73, said he came to the gathering to hear the speech by Muhyiddin.

"As a retired teacher, I wanted to hear his speech, especially on education, because he is also the education minister," he told Bernama tonight.

K. Nageswari, 27, a civil servant, said she did not view the gathering as a political meeting but rather a gathering of the people from the same area.

"I live in this area and I wanted to hear what the government is doing, so I brought my family and neighbours. When we arrived here, there were many more of our friends here," she said.

More than 200 stalls were set up and the various food stalls enjoyed brisk business.

- Bernama