GEORGE TOWN, May 20  ― A DAP backbencher’s demands that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak should resign over the missing Malaysia Airline jet met with a chorus of protests from his BN counterparts in the Penang state assembly today.

Backbenchers Chairman R.S.N. Rayer (DAP ― Sri Delima) blamed the premier for failing to solve the mystery of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane.

“I am speaking on behalf of all Penangites to demand for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to resign over his mishandling of the MH370 missing plane issue,” he said when debating the Penang Governor's speech this morning.

The Beijing bound plane went missing on March 8 with 239 people on board. The jet is believed to have gone down somewhere in the Indian Ocean.

To date, no concrete evidence of the plane or debris has been found.

Rayer said the South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won resigned following criticism over his  government's response to the Sewol ferry disaster last month.

“Similarly, our Prime Minister must also take responsibility to resign over his failure to find MH370,” he said.

His demands  met with a chorus of protests from the Barisan Nasional representatives.

Datuk Shah Headan Ayoob Hussain Shah (BN ― Teluk Bahang) labelled Rayer's demands as unreasonable.

“So, you can also ask for the United States President Barack Obama to resign as he had also failed to find the missing plane,” he said.

State Opposition leader Datuk Jahara Hamid (BN ― Teluk Air Tawar)  criticised Rayer for bringing up this issue.

“This is a sad time for everyone and all the families of those onboard the plane and yet, you are politicising the issue,” Jahara said.

She reminded Rayer that a total 28 countries have joined in the search and rescue efforts for the plane.

“We have orchestrated the involvement of so many countries in efforts to find the plane so not simply pin the blame on the Prime Minister,” she added.

Datuk Mahmud Zakaria (BN ― Sungai Acheh) in turn demanded that the Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng resign over his “mishandling of the illegal hill clearing on Bukit Relau”.

“I also can demand on behalf of  Penangites over the ‘botak hill’ getting balder and that the Chief Minister must resign for failing to rectify this issue,” he said.

This was followed by more protests and arguments from both sides before state legislative assembly speaker Law Choo Kiang ordered all assemblymen to stop.

“Enough, let us move on to other state issues,” he said.