Aspan and Sakmongkol join opposition

SHAHALAM: Umnoveterans-turnedbloggers Datuk Mohd Sabri Ariff Abdul Aziz and Aspan Alias have joined DAP.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, while welcoming both into the “DAP family”, said Sabri and Aspan would respectively be based in their Pahang and Negri Sembilan home states.

Speaking at the sidelines of the DAP national conference, Sabri, who was formerly the Pulau Manis assemblyman, said there were no pre-conditions attached to his entry into DAP.

“We didn’t ask for seats or a chance to contest.

“All we are here to do is to go to our respective fields and raise the level of awareness,” he said.

Sabri, who blogs under the nom de plume Sakmongkol, moved from party politics to blogging and had often written hard-hitting posts against Umno as well as the Government.

Aspan, a Negri Sembilan Umno veteran, said it was corruption that drove him out of Umno.

Meanwhile, Sekinchan state assemblyman Ng Suee Lim proposed that veteran DAP leaders make a paradigm shift and accept state or federal awards.

He said such changes were needed to show that DAP respected the royalty.

“The time has come for DAP veteran leaders like Karpal Singh and Dr Chenmanhin ... to receive awards from the Rulers,” he said when debating the Central Working Committee’s report.

He said reasons like DAP leaders should not receive any awards when they are serving in the party, should be changed.