GE13: Trouble brewing in Malacca DAP

(The Star) – DAP candidate for the Alor Gajah parliamentary seat Damien Yeo has threatened to pull out of the general election if party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng continues to meddle in the list of candidates for the state.

In a Facebook posting last night, Yeo wrote that he would withdraw if Lim did not “give respect” to Malacca DAP chairman Goh Leong San‘s decision on the candidates.

Earlier, at another function, Goh had named Yeo as the candidate against MCA’s Koh Nai Kwong for the seat.

It was learnt that Goh had also threatened to pull out all his candidates should there be no amicable consensus to the stalemate in the next few days.

The issue began after Lim’s wife Betty Chew Gek Heng decided not to re-contest the Kota Laksamana seat.

Malacca DAP had then submitted the names of three female candidates for the Kota Laksamana seat but they were all reportedly rejected by Lim.

They were Teoh Lee Lan, the sister of political aide Teoh Beng Hock, Kuek Teng Ling and Chong May Lee.

When the state DAP announced its list of candidates earlier, the candidate’s name for the Kota Laksamana seat was left out.

State DAP publicity chief and Ayer Keroh assemblyman Khoo Poay Tiong was also absent from the function, fuelling speculation over disagreement between Malacca DAP and Lim over the choice of candidates.

It is no secret that there are two factions in the Malacca DAP, one aligned to the state DAP and the other to Lim and Chew.

It was learnt that Lim had lobbied for Dr Wong Ho Peng to be slotted for the seat vacated by Chew.