Reps to sit apart from former party members
MALACCA: Two former Malacca DAP elected representatives have submitted their resignation notices to State Speaker Datuk Othman Mohamad.
Lim Jak Wong (Bachang) and Chin Choon Seong (Kesidang) handed their letters to the State Assembly secretary Mohd Yusof Abu Bakar at 10.30am yesterday.
Othman said their new seating in the august house would be arranged, away from the three DAP assemblymen.
The next assembly session is from March 7 to 10.
Lim and Chin together with Goh Leong San (Duyong) resigned from the party on Sunday.
Kota Melaka MP Sim Tong Him also quit. Taking a hard-hitting swipe at his former party, Sim said on Sunday that DAP now had no proper direction and had deviated from its core objectives.
It is an open secret that in the state DAP, Sim, Goh, Lim and Chin are in a team while incumbent state chairman Tey Kok Kiew (DAP-Banda Hilir), state secretary Khoo Poay Tiong (DAP-Ayer Keroh) and Lai Kuen Ban (DAP-Kota Laksamana) are aligned to party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.
It is learnt that Sim had yesterday informed party national organising secretary Anthony Loke that he was no longer a party member.
As for Goh, Othman said the latter need not submit a resignation notice because he has been sitting in an Independent seat since March 28 last year.
He added that Goh became an Independent after being suspended as a DAP member on Feb 6 last year.
A political analyst said the long-standing feud between the four former DAP elected representatives and party incumbents gives Barisan Nasional the advantage in the next general election.
“Sim and Goh are veteran politicians. They would have outlined their game plans before resigning.
“They are not going to surrender that easily,” said the analyst.
Although Barisan is not a favourite among Kota Melaka voters, technically the ruling party can emerge victorious with a razor-thin majority based on the current development, he added.
When contacted, Khoo acknowledged the influence of the four should not be overlooked.
“We will start rebuilding our grassroots by focusing on the various issues affecting the nation. It’s the single most important objective right now for us,” he said.