Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has denied that the close relationship he has with Mohamad Sabu was the basis for the PAS deputy chief being appointed as the new Penang PAS commissioner.

Mohamad, who is widely referred to as Mat Sabu, is known to have good personal ties with the DAP secretary-general from the time they were both arrested under the Internal Security Act in 1987.

NONE Lim said he respects the PAS central leadership decision to appoint Mat Sabu as its Penang chief, but thinks his good relationship with him is not the criterion for the appointment.

He also enjoys a good relationship with former state PAS commissioner Salleh Man, who was replaced yesterday after serving in the post for eight years.

Salleh is also Permatang Pasir assemblyperson and the sole PAS assemblyperson in Penang, now in his second term.

"I have a good relationship with Salleh. He has also said he has a good working relationship with me," Lim told a press conference today.

"So, I don't think it is the criterion. It is a decision by PAS and whether Salleh or Mat Sabu, we know both of them, and we will continue with our cooperation," he added.

'Strong influence' claim rejected

Lim said the situation was not, as painted by "certain quarters", because PAS has its own reasons for replacing Salleh with Mat Sabu.

He was referring to the statement by state PAS deputy commissioner Mohamad Fauzi Yusof, who said Mat Sabu was appointed because of his " strong influence and good relationship" with the Islamic party's Pakatan allies in Penang.

NONE Last month, Fauzi ( left ) led a party team in Seberang Jaya, expressing their unhappiness with the state's interference in its appointments of staff for state agencies and government-linked companies.

The group members also said they would push for a review of the party's links with Pakatan if their demands for more say in how the state is run were not met.

Lim praised Salleh for adopting a positive and right spirit and approach towards the episode and pledging to cooperate with Mat Sabu, adding, "It is the same position of the state government."

He also broke his silence on the apparent problem among the PAS grassroots in Penang, saying their grievances were directed more at PKR, not at the state government and that the mass media purposely refused to highlight the real problem, which was between PAS and PKR.

"Perhaps the media wants to stir up a racial issue by giving the impression that PAS is having problem with us (DAP or the state government it leads)," said Lim.

"The problem is between PAS and PKR. That is the issue and should be resolved by the new leadership of both parties," he said, adding that PKR also has it unhappiness with PAS, but "they did not make it public".

As for a meeting among the Pakatan allies in Penang, which has yet to be called since the May 5 general election, Lim said they would conduct it after PKR's internal elections.

Asked why it had to wait until then, Lim said "This is the way we operate.

"Let us be a government. We have our own mechanism of solving the problem. We have our own mechanism for governing," he added.