Perak DAP chief Ngeh Koo Ham today conceded the move to step on images of the three political ‘frogs' who caused the fall of the Perak Pakatan Rakyat state government had received a "mixed reaction" among party members.

NONEYesterday at the party's state-level 15th convention in Ipoh, a banner bearing the faces of the three, Barisan Nasional-friendly independents Hee Yit Foong (Jelapang), Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi (Behrang) and Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu (Changkat Jering) were placed like a doormat on the floor of the convention hall's entrance at the Tower Refency Hotel, forcing the delegates to step on it.

Ngeh stated that using the banner as a doormat was "a spontaneous action" by members who wanted to express their outrage over the frogs "bringing down the Perak state government" and "betraying the people".

Although many of the members have said that it was ‘appropriate as they wanted to show their anger against ‘these traitors', the Beruas MP also expressed his regret to members who felt offended or thought the act "inappropriate".

NONENgeh was quick to say that his regret was not an apology to the defectors, and he also admitted he had stepped on the banner.

"Initially, I thought that I didn't want to step on the banner but when the media asked (for a photography session), I did step (on it)," he said.

The three defectors were infamously labelled as ‘frogs' when they left their respective Pakatan parties early this year and became BN supporters, resulting in a controversial switch of government.

When contacted, Hee warned her former colleagues of the "curse from heaven". Jamaluddin meanwhile laughed it off, stating that it showed "they miss me".

Gov't should not stop easing the people's burden

In a separate development, Ngeh urged the federal government to continue subsiding the cost of electric usage for people who use less than RM20 a month.

In a written response from Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Peter Chin, the minister said that the subsidy would only run from Oct 1, 2008 to Dec 31, 2009.

Chin, in his response, said that the policy created to ease the burden of low-income earners who use less than RM20 worth of electricity a month.

Ngeh said that the government should make it a "continuous policy", the same way Pakatan currently subsidised water up to 20-cubic metres for constituents.

"If they wanted to lift the people's burden, why are they are implementing (the subsidy) for only a year? If they are truly genuine with (their intention), then they should keep this policy," said Ngeh.