Its secretary, H’ng Chee Wey, criticised a report in FMT, quoting a party insider, as an attempt to tarnish the current leadership.
“Teng did not stop his non-supporters from being part of the state party’s leadership,” he said. “The question of having team Teng and team Baljit Singh (the state legal bureau chief) does not arise when everyone was included, despite claims of not agreeing to Teng’s leadership.
“It is this senior party leader who leaked incorrect information to FMT in (the) hopes of creating disunity in the party. It is an idiotic act. I am saddened by this episode,” he said in a statement.
In yesterday’s report, a veteran party insider had told FMT that all was not well in Penang Gerakan, where there was a rift between two warring factions.
The insider claimed that Teng has “arranged his minions” in the current state line up, leaving the technocrat group in cold storage, and accused Teng of planning to make a challenge for the national presidency by stepping down as state chairman.
However H’ng said it was highly unlikely that Teng wanted to go for the president’s post. He said Teng, as state chairman, was automatically a central delegate.
“When he was appointed secretary-general then, he was automatically a central delegate. Teng had resigned as an appointed member of the central committee last March. Effectively, Teng no longer qualifies as a central delegate,” H’ng said, pointing out that any member seeking election to any party post must be a delegate.
“How could Teng aim for the presidency of the party, when he is no longer a delegate at the next party election, which is scheduled after the 14th general election?” he said.
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