The sole PAS assemblyman in Penang - Salleh Man - will continue to be part of the state government, said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Lim said this was decided by the state executive council at its meeting yesterday, which was attended by all 30 assemblypersons.

Salleh, who is PAS Permatang Pasir assemblyman, currently holds the post as Penang Islamic Affairs Council president, and sits on the board of Yayasan Islam Pulau Pinang and Penang International Halal Hub.

Asked how would Salleh work with the state government when Pakatan Rakyat has been declared dead, Lim said “ask him”.

“It is better that it comes from him,” Lim ( photo ) said at a press conference in Komtar today.

“He is part of Penang government although Pakatan is no more, but based on what we said yesterday, it is business as usual ,” he added.

Yesterday, Lim said the Penang executive council had vehemently opposed the motion by the 61st PAS muktamar, held in Selangor last week, to break up with DAP.

However, the Penang government, comprising DAP (19), PKR (10) and one PAS assemblyman, are bound and guided by Pakatan’s 2013 manifesto, Lim explained.

“This is the guiding mandate on which we will govern the state,” Lim said.

Pakatan is dead-dead

Asked if Pakatan is then dead only in name, Lim quipped, “No, it is dead-dead”.

“We cannot call it Penang Pakatan now but we can call it Penang government as the manifesto still lives as we were elected by the people based on that,” he added.

In the last national polls in May 2013, Pakatan garnered 68 percent of the popular in Penang, and Lim described this as a “historic win”.

Asked if more termination letters had been issued to PAS members working in the state government, Lim declined to comment.

So far only PAS state secretary Mohd Fadzil Kemi has been terminated from his information officer post in Lim’s office.

Five other PAS leaders - former party deputy chief Mohamed Sabu, former state deputy commissioner Mujahid Yusof Rawa, legal advisor Roshidi Hussain, and two local councillors Mhd Nasir Yahya and Dahalan Fazil had quit their various positions based on principles.