KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 — DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke told Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s (Bersatu) Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan today to stop meddling in the affairs of the former’s party.

According to Free Malaysia Today (FMT), Loke said the Bersatu member had no standing to claim that Deputy Finance Minister Steven Sim was DAP’s choice to be the next Penang chief minister to replace incumbent Chow Kon Yeow.

"I want to ask him... is he the DAP secretary-general?

"Can he determine who our candidates are? I think he shouldn’t meddle in others’ affairs. He should just focus on his own matters,” he was quoted as saying.

Loke, who is the transport minister, spoke after witnessing the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Railway Assets Corp and ThinkCity on the planned restoration of the old Malayan Railway building in Penang.

Earlier, Wan Saiful claimed Sim would be fielded in the Penang election to prepare him to be CM, purportedly because Chow had underperformed.

The Penang legislative assembly was dissolved on June 28, paving the way for a state election on August 12, simultaneously with Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu.

Last week, Chow, who is also the Penang Pakatan Harapan (PH) chief, said a five-member panel will meet soon and decide on potential candidates to represent DAP in the upcoming state election.

The caretaker chief minister said the panel had completed interviews with the party’s incumbent assemblymen in Penang and will forward the list to DAP’s central executive committee (CEC) for consideration.