The move to bar PKR's Kebun Bunga assemblyperson Cheah Kah Peng from managing the registration of flood victims in his constituency for financial aid has nothing to do with his dissenting views, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said today.

Lim said the move was based on Cheah's bad performance as an assemblyperson during the floods of Sept 15 and Nov 4 and 5, which displaced thousands and killed seven people.

He said other PKR elected representatives also questioned the state government's various policies but they were not subjected to the move.

"I visited the areas in his constituency which were affected badly by floods and there was strong opposition to the Kebun Bunga rep," Lim told Malaysiakini.

"The residents were very dissatisfied and even uttered four letter words towards the assemblyperson but they praised and thanked DAP Pulau Tikus assemblyperson Yap Soo Huey for helping them."

"They even preferred to vote for Yap. They were obviously our supporters, how could we ignore them?" Lim asked.

Yap has been tasked with the registration of flood victims in Kebun Bunga, replacing Cheah.

Lim was asked to comment about an interview with Malaysiakini, where Cheah (photo) said he was not the "quarrelsome or troublemaker" type but preferred to focus on the bigger issues plaguing the state.

He pointed to the lack of effective state policies to deal with hillslope development and the landslide of Oct 21 in Tanjung Bungah, which claimed 11 lives.

Cheah was also one of the infamous "PKR 5" who abstained from voting against an Umno motion in November 2015 to halt all land reclamation projects in Penang.

The Penang PKR leadership, led by former deputy chief minister Mansor Othman, was supposed to meet Lim about the matter but no meeting date has been fixed.

Meanwhile, Lim highlighted a video of his recent visit to Hong Seng Estate in Kebun Bunga, where several residents chided Cheah for his alleged lack of attention to their plight.

During his two-hour walkabout, Lim told reporters that it's not really important if a state assembly member does not meet the expectations of residents in the constituency.

"What is more important, is for them to provide feedback that there is a shortcoming, and the state government will follow up," added Lim, who is also the Air Putih lawmaker.

Accompanying Lim and Yap at the housing estate were local councillors Syerleena Abdul Rashid and Chris Lee, and several village development and security committee members.