KUALA LUMPUR: The Barisan Nasional supreme council will determine the action to be taken against rebel party Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak Tuesday.

The deputy prime minister said that the Barisan Nasional's management committee, which met yesterday, had come up with several recommendations for the council on the action to be taken against the SAPP.

Najib declined to say what the recommendations were.

“I cannot announce them. They are specific recommendations. We will submit them to the supreme council soon,” he told reporters after chairing the committee meeting at Parliament House. Representatives of all Barisan component parties, except SAPP, which was not invited, attended the meeting.

Najib, who is Barisan deputy chairman, said the committee also decided that the Government should give serious attention and priority to problems involving the people’s interests, including in Sabah and Sarawak.

“Any issue involving the people’s interests in Sabah, Sarawak and peninsular Malaysia should be given serious attention so that the people have confidence in Barisan,” he said.

Barisan secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said the date of the supreme council meeting had yet to be determined but said it was expected to be held soon.

“We have to look at a suitable date because the prime minister has to chair the meeting,” he said.

Among the Barisan leaders who attended the meeting were MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party president Datuk Seri William Mawan Ikom, Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, Parti Bersatu Sabah president Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah president Datuk Seri Joseph Kurup and Liberal Democratic Party president Datuk V.K. Liew.

Only newsmen from Bernama, RTM and international news agencies attended Najib’s press conference at Committee Room II.

Newsmen from several local media organisations stayed away in protest against Parliament's decision to disallow reporters from the lobby area. — Bernama