The Penang lawmaker said it was not right for such violence to happen in front of the prime minister.

“For this to happen right in front of country’s top leader, it is a sign of disrespect for the leader,” he said.

The Penang chief minister was commenting on the incident last night when veteran actor Sulaiman Yassin slapped Metrowealth Pictures (MIG) chief executive officer Datuk David Teo, who was criticising the moderator of the event for allegedly ignoring attendees seated in the back.

Lim then said Teo must lodge a police report as violence should not be condoned, no matter what happened.

“There is no excuse for violence. This is something unfortunate and should not happen and the witness who was there just stood there, not doing anything,” he said.

Lim also termed the incident as an “open season” in which violence can be used on certain Malaysians.

“This includes minorities and opposition leaders from all races,” he said.

State executive councillor Jagdeep Singh Deo said Teo must lodge a police report over the incident and that Najib should be called in as a witness to the incident.

“Najib should stand witness and testify to this unbecoming behaviour that the whole country has now witnessed,” he said.

The TN50 event was a round table discussion between the prime minister and the nation’s leading entertainers.

Sulaiman slapped Teo after the latter took the microphone from moderator Datuk Rosyam Nor and criticised him for ignoring attendees seated in the back.