Chong says ‘no’ to Riot joining Pakatan

KUCHING: State Pakatan Harapan ( PH) chairman Chong Chieng Jen is saying ‘no’ to Serian MP Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem joining the alliance.

Chong, who is Stampin MP, said, with a corruption scandal involving his former political secretary, Riot is not an appropriate individual and character to join PH.

“About rumours about Riot’s intention to join PH…he is an inappropriate individual who cannot be accepted, particularly with the corruption scandal against his former political secretary, which is still being investigated.

“And even if he (Riot) is accepted, he has to be scrutinised by Malaysia Anti Corruption Commission ( MACC) before he is accepted into any PH component party,” Chong told reporters yesterday after attending a meeting with representatives of Education Department here.

With him were Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii, Mas Gading MP Mordi Bimol and Padungan assemblyman Wong Kim Wei.

Chong, who is also state DAP chairman, also pointed out that as the party’s chairman, he would never allow Riot to join the party, adding that he also personally felt that PH component parties should not simply accept any Barisan Nasional ( BN) member.

“We ( PH) owe the people who elected us, who have yearned for a clean government with integrity, which has been our struggle...so we should not simply accept those in BN who may have personal interest and maybe involved in corruption,” he asserted.

Chong, who is also Kota Sentosa assemblyman, stressed that he would inform state PKR chief Baru Bian what he knew about Riot, whose former political secretary was linked to a RM40million scandal.

Meanwhile, Riot, who is SUPP deputy president, did not attend the party’s central working committee (CWC) meeting on Monday night at the party’s headquarters.

It is learnt that Riot and the party’s secretary- general Datuk Sebastian Ting were representing the party’s president Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian at a BN meeting in the federal capital.