The DAP spin that people can only stop Umno's dominance in Penang by denying the BN a two-thirds majority is only a scare tactic.

Outgoing chief minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said the DAP was just whipping up racial sentiments as there was no such thing as a dominant party in the BN's power sharing pact. "I hope people don't get caught up in this DAP spin as it is very divisive. The poison is already pumped into the minds of the people and it is very dangerous," he said.

Koh said the DAP had been urging people to deny the BN the two-thirds majority to prevent Umno from getting more seats if a new re-delineation exercise is conducted in Penang after the general election.

The DAP, he said, repeatedly harped on the issue and he had to dispel such notion. "They are saying that if the people deny the BN two-thirds majority they can block any increase in seats for Umno in the Penang state legislative assembly. However, I have the facts and figures to show that this has never happened before," he said.

Koh, who is Gerakan acting president, provided then a lengthy explanation on how the previous re-delineation were conducted in 1984 and 2003 and how many seats were allocated to the respective BN component parties.

In 1984, the Penang state assembly was increased from 27 to 33 seats, with Gerakan getting an additional three, Umno (two) and MCA (one). The re-delineation in 2004 saw the number of seats increasing from 33 to 40 with Gerakan getting an additional two seats, Umno (three), MCA and MIC (one each).

Koh said the ratio between Umno and non-Umno seats in Penang in 1982 was 10:17, while in 1986 it was 12:21 and in 2004 it was 15:25.

"Based on these facts and figures, it is clear we have a fair distribution of seats. So what are they (the DAP) talking about? They are really trying to stir up emotions unnecessarily," he said

Seat distribution could be considered fair based on Penang’s population of 40 per cent Malays, 45 per cent Chinese, nine per cent Indians and the rest other races, he said.