PENANG, March 7 (Bernama) -- Outgoing Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said today the Barisan Nasional (BN) did not issue a threat to voters when it said the Chinese would be unrepresented in government if they voted for the opposition in the general election tomorrow.

Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon on his last day at his office as Chief Minister. Speaking to reporters he said the concept of sharing responsibility and power has always been the commitment and practice of the Barisan Nasional.

Nevertheless, the Gerakan acting president explained the consequences faced by the voters if they did not have balanced representation in parliament and in the cabinet.

"We have never threatened the people. In fact, the BN has being holding firm to this idea of balanced representation, especially in Penang," he told reporters at his office in Komtar here.

He said the BN had always given consideration to providing balanced representation.

"This can be proven in Penang where no constituency, either parliamentary or state, has a majority of Indian voters, and yet the BN committed itself to allocating to an Indian candidate a seat where the Indian proportion may be less than 15 per cent.

"This is the concept of sharing responsibility and power which has always been the commitment and practice of the BN," he said.

He was commenting on the dissatisfaction of certain voters who had misinterpreted what Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had said on voting for a voice in parliament and the cabinet.

Yesterday, Abdullah reminded the Chinese community that if they voted for the DAP, they would end up not having any representation in the government.

Abdullah had also reminded Penangites of the situation after the 1990 general election when the MCA and MIC were "paralysed" after their candidates were defeated in the contest for the state seats.

Abdullah was quoted yesterday as saying that "when the MCA and MIC lost their voice, the people felt it. I hope they will think very carefully. This is important in the interest of all races".

Koh urged the voters not to take things for granted but to go out and vote to ensure that they return enough representatives to the parliamentary and state seats.