Neutral Hannah Yeoh may top divisive Selangor DAP polls
By Adib Zalkapli, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 28 — The divisive Selangor DAP election today could see Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh emerge as the most popular leader when delegates vote for the 15 members of the state committee.
Party insiders from two opposing camps expect the first-term lawmaker to obtain the highest number of votes because of her popularity and her ability to distance herself from the state leadership crisis.
“Her image inside and outside the party is very good. She is friendly to both sides,” said a party official familiar with the election process.
Yeoh is said to be aligned to the state DAP chairman Ean Yong Hian Wah’s faction, dubbed the mainstream group and recently launched a campaign calling for unity in the Selangor DAP.
Other members of the team include Seputeh MP Teresa Kok; Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua; Klang MP Charles Santiago; Kampung Tunku assemblyman Lau Weng San; Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching; Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo; and Teratai assemblyman Jenice Lee.
The election, held every two years, takes place just months after DAP was forced to sack its Selangor organising secretary Tee Boon Hock for allegedly issuing a support letter for his son’s company to obtain a contract from the Klang Municipal Councillor (MPK).
Tee was then an MPK councillor and also a member of the local authority’s tender board.
The sacking caused uneasiness among many party members who saw Tee as a loyal party man with strong grassroots support.
Tee’s removal has affected the popularity of the current Selangor DAP committee members — including its deputy chairman Pua, who received the most votes in the 2008 state party convention.
Another leader struggling to survive today’s vote is Selangor executive councillor Ronnie Liu, who was implicated in the issuance of Tee’s support letter.
Liu oversees the local authorities in the state and Tee was his strongman since before Election 2008, when he decided to contest the Pandamaran state seat.
“I think for most leaders our aim is not getting the highest votes. Sometimes we are forced to make unpopular decisions. As politicians we have to make the right decision,” Liu told The Malaysian Insider when asked about his chances in the election today.
“I have made unpopular decisions, too, like exposing weaknesses of certain leaders, but it was the right thing to do,” he said without elaborating.
“If you are a leader that makes popular decisions all the time, then there must be something wrong with you,” said the former Selangor DAP chairman.
Lui is not considered to be part of the mainstream team but is also under attack from Tee’s supporters who have thrown their support behind Selangor Assembly Speaker Teng Chang Khim.
For members aligned with Tee, the Sungai Pinang assemblyman is their hope to ensure the party remains under the control of the grassroots.
“If Teng becomes the chairman it is also for unity, because we want to go back to grassroots,” said Tee who has been campaigning actively on the ground despite having lost his membership.
“DAP is part of the government, any new policies should be presented to the grassroots. We should not be informed through the media, because the public will come to us first for explanation. The party should run the government not the government controlling the party,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
Tee’s faction is said to be controlling at least 40 of the 145 branches qualified to be represented at today’s convention.
