GEORGE TOWN: Penang Gerakan chairman Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan today urged the Umno leadership and Barisan Nasional (BN) not to accept Kulim-Bandar Baru member of parliament Zulkifli Noordin as a member.

Teng said Zulkfli is perceived as a religious extremist and a racist.

"He was sacked by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) for his unwillingness to subscribe to multi-racialism.

"Accepting him into Umno and Barisan Nasional will not augur well for BN as a moderate and multi-racial coalition serving the interests of all Malaysians," Teng said in a statement.

Teng, who is also a Gerakan vice-president, pointed out that Zulkifli had led a noisy protest to disrupt a Bar Council’s Conversion to Islam forum in Kuala Lumpur, on Aug 9, 2008.

Teng said Gerakan was perturbed with the statement by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin that Umno’s door "was always open to anyone wanting to become its members" including Zulkifli. Muhyiddin was commenting on the situation of former PKR members Mohsin Samsuri (Bagan Serai), Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim (Bayan Baru) and Zulkifli.

He said BN in general and Umno in particular should not accept religious extremists and racists into its fold.