GEORGE TOWN, Feb 24 — The PKR assemblyman who was sacked from the Penang Hill Corporation (PHC) today labelled his removal a “big mistake” and suggested that it was possibly unlawful.

Kebun Bunga assemblyman Cheah Kah Peng, who was sacked as a director of PHC, claimed his removal from the state government-linked corporation (GLC) has effectively deprived his Penang Hill constituents of their constitutional rights.

“I believe it is a big mistake the Penang Hill Corporation has done and may even be illegal, corporately speaking,” he told reporters at a press conference in Komtar today.

He pointed out that Penang Hill is part of his constituency and removing him from PHC, which manages Penang Hill, meant depriving his constituents of their rights to be represented in the corporation.

He advised PHC to rectify the situation and demanded an apology over the move that he claimed was beyond the authority of the state administration.

Cheah and another PKR assemblyman, Ong Chin Wen, were removed from their posts in GLCs after they abstained from voting against a land reclamation motion proposed by Umno in last November.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng accused the duo of “backstabbing” the Pakatan Harapan state government and of leading three other PKR assemblymen to abstain from voting against the motion.

Cheah said the state government’s actions in punishing him and Ong will not stop him and the other PKR elected representatives from continuing to speak out for the people at the legislative assembly.

“We, elected representatives, are elected to help scrutinise all government administration, be it federal or state, which we were doing and we will continue to do so,” he said.

He did not believe that it is wrong for them to question the state government on land reclamations and land swap deals while calling for public hearings on new land reclamation projects.