Gerakan has slammed the DAP for abusing the election process to serve its own political agenda by mulling a snap election for Penang in order to gauge public response on Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's corruption charges.

Gerakan vice-president Dominic Lau Hoe Chai criticised DAP for not hesitating to use resources from both the state and federal governments to support a single individual.

Lau said Lim's corruption charges were his own legal issue, and he does not equal Penang, just like Penang does not belong to him.

"Penang belongs to all Penangites, but now it appears that the two Lims, the father and son, have taken ownership of Penang for their family.

"It is Lim Guan Eng who is being charged and it was him who bought the bungalow at below market price as his own property," he said in a statement.

Lau (photo) said the state government was not affected in the matter and there is no justification for DAP to gauge public support towards a single individual by holding a snap state election.

He pointed out that the meaning behind elections is to enable the people to evaluate the performance of an incumbent government and elect leaders who can lead the country forward through democratic mechanism.

Lau said it was never a platform for a political party to gauge public support towards a person, when huge human and financial resources would be involved during elections.

He added that it is a waste of national resources just to hold a snap election for the sake of one person.

Lau asked whether Lim's innocence could be proven if he gained electoral victory.

"Is an electoral victory the way for politicians to prove innocence in alleged wrong doings? If so, courts will no longer be needed in the country."

Lau said the court will make a fair judgment and if Lim is truly innocent, he would be vindicated.

"There is no need for DAP to run a public donation campaign or mull snap polls in such political gimmicks to confuse the people and gain sympathy," he added.

In Kuala Lumpur today, Gerakan president Mah Siew Keong said the Penang DAP's proposal to hold a snap state election as a referendum to gauge public sentiment on two corruption charges against Guan Eng is an unnecessary distraction.

Mah said treating elections as a referendum on Lim's pending corruption trial was wrong and the DAP's intention to use snap polls as a referendum on Lim's case was purely politically motivated.

He also questioned whether DAP was suggesting that judicial proceedings on similar charges in future can be used to circumvent and escape judgment by means of the court of law by holding snap elections.

"And the Penang state government shows little concern on huge financial costs which will occur by holding the snap election," Bernama quoted Mah (photo) as saying in a statement.

He was commenting on media reports quoting Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy as saying DAP had shortlisted two options in response to the two corruption charges filed against Lim, who is also the DAP secretary-general.

One was to call for a snap election in the state to gauge the people's response to the charges

against Lim while the other was to wait for the coming national election, to be called no later than August 2018.

However, no decision has been made regarding the matter and it was just a discussion in the DAP meeting held in Penang recently, Ramasamy said.

Mah said it is Lim who is currently facing the corruption charges in court not the Penang state government. Therefore, Penangnites should not be involved into his personal legal issues and Lim should go on leave in the best interest of the state.

Lim's corruption charges should not be taken as a state affair by DAP as it is not fair or legal and Lim should answer and defend against the charges in court by respecting the rule of law, he said.