Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng expressed surprise that Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali has "interfered" in the running of his administration.

Lim said this was the first time a menteri besar or chief minister of a Pakatan state had commented on another's administration.

"Out of respect, we usually do not do it. If there is any issue to discuss, we would raise it behind closed doors and not in public," Lim told reporters after attending the Penang Development Corporation's Chinese New Year open house do today.

Lim was asked to respond to Azmin's statement that the CM should not have sacked the two PKR assemblypersons - Ong Chin Wen (Bukit Tengah) and Cheah Kah Peng (Kebun Bunga) - from their GLC director posts as the duo were merely carrying out their role as state elected representatives.

Azmin had defended the duo and said the PKR political bureau had sent a letter to Lim in the hope that the matter could be discussed in a harmonious manner.

Lim said he will respond with courtesy out of respect to Azmin as Selangor menteri besar and will consider the appeal letter PKR had sent on the duo's fate.

"We have not received the letter and Azmin did not mention anything to me when we met last week at the Majlis Raja-Raja in Selangor," Lim claimed.

"But they (PKR) had been informed of my decision to terminate the directorship of the duo," he added.

Lim also noted that Ong ( photo ) and Cheah were given the opportunity to meet him over their actions but have failed to do so.

He reminded Azmin that PKR had earlier in 2013 sacked former Selangor menteri besar Khalid Ibrahim for agreeing in a meeting to comply to party instructions on several state issues but later defied the order.

"It is the same thing here," Lim added.

The duo, together with three of their colleagues, had decided to abstain from voting against an Umno motion to halt all reclamation projects at the November sitting of the state legislative assembly.

Lim was sore with the duo for agreeing to vote out Umno's motion in a pre-assembly meeting but later changed their stand without informing him when they were called to vote on the motion filed by Pulau Betong assemblyperson Muhammad Farid Saad.

Lim said they were sacked from GLCs where he sits as chairperson, as he no longer had confidence or trust in them.