PENANG: The state executive council (Exco) at its meeting Wednesday agreed to propose newly elected Permatang Pasir assemblyman Mohd Salleh Man as the president of the Penang Islamic Religious Council (MAIPP).

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said all the state Exco members decided to propose Mohd Salleh to the post.

"State Religious Affairs Committee chairman Abdul Malik Abul Kassim has been tasked to seek the King's and Governor's consent for Mohd Salleh's appointment as MAIPP president," he told reporters here Wednesday.

The post is currently held by UMNO's Permatang Berangan assemblyman Shahbudin Yahya, whose term ends in December.

On the Permatang Pasir by-election, Lim said Mohd Salleh still managed to garner 65 percent of the votes, a similar percentage obtained by the late Datuk Mohd Hamdan Abdul Rahman from PAS in the 2008 general election based on voter turnout.

He said the voter turnout was only 73.1 percent compared to 82.57 percent in the last general election.

Last night, PAS retained the state seat after Mohd Salleh defeated Barisan Nasional's Rohaizat Othman by 4,551 votes.

Meanwhile, on the state-level National Day celebration, Lim said the state would celebrate the occasion on a smaller scale and short in duration due to the spread of the H1N1 virus.

He said while the annual procession had been cancelled, there would be just a small gathering as the priority was to prevent the spread of the virus for the people's safety. (Bernama)