Selangor DAP chief warns of split ahead of snap polls
By Adib Zalkapli, The Malaysian Insider
PETALING JAYA, Nov 28 — Selangor DAP chairman Ean Yong Hian Wah has urged party leaders to unite before the next general election, amid concerns that the state chapter was headed for a split caused by the internal polls.
The Selangor executive councillor also condemned his rival’s pledge to reshuffle the state DAP’s representation in the government, saying that such a move would only divide the party further.
“In this party election, we saw some of our members resorted to dirty tactics to attack our leaders. This is an unhealthy trend,” said Yong in his welcoming speech at the Selangor DAP ordinary convention here.
“They make allegations that almost all decisions made by the state committee in the past two years have been wrong,” he told some 1,000 delegates.
“Some even said that they wanted to reshuffle the state committee, especially the elected representatives. Such remarks are uncalled for and would cause disunity in the party,” said the Seri Kembangan assemblyman.
He then warned the delegates that the party has no choice but to unite to face the general election.
“We have to be prepared for the next general election. We can only if all of us unite as a team,” said Ean Yong.
He also told all DAP representatives that they were being monitored and some may be dropped in the next general election.
“We were in the opposition and we asked the government to address the people’s problems. But things have changed; we have to go to the ground to solve public complaints. Don’t think we can win through publicity in newspapers,” said Yong.
“We have identified unsatisfactory service of some in several DAP state constituencies. If there is not improvement by the next general election, we would take the appropriate action,” he added.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is said to be weighing a call for snap parliamentary polls over the next few months, to secure a fresh mandate that will allow him to push ahead with painful political and economic reforms.
Speculation of the snap polls comes at a time when the state DAP is facing its most divisive election.
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.
This year’s election has seen the emergence of two teams, one aligned to Ean Yong with Selangor executive councillor Teresa Kok as the de facto leader and a second comprising self-proclaimed reformists.
