CM slammed for appointing ‘lackeys’
(The Star) – DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has come under fire from a Kedah party chief for appointing “lackeys” to resolve internal disputes in the party.
Kedah DAP chairman Lee Guan Aik, who had refused to abide by the party’s order to step down and make way for Zairil Khir Johari, said Lim should be on the ground to resolve the issues directly in his capacity as the secretary-general.
He said Lim should take responsibility for the problems plaguing the party instead of hiding behind party publicity chief Tony Pua and organising secretary Anthony Loke, who he said were “mere lackeys”.
Pua is appointed as reconciliation committee chairman for Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Kelantan, Terengganu, Perak and Pahang while Loke is the chairman for Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Johor and Sabah.
“Lim should meet the state (party) leaders and members, and he must also respect the decisions made by party members,” said Lee.
He said the central executive committee (CEC) had undermined democracy by appointing CEC member Zairil as the interim Kedah DAP chairman.
“The Kedah delegates had elected me as the state chairman in 2011. So, how can the committee appoint Zairil to replace an elected leader?” he asked.
Lee said he had lodged a complaint with the Registrar of Societies over the CEC’s decision to appoint Kedah interim committee members to replace those who were elected.
DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang shrugged off the complaint as a mere ploy to adversely affect the voting trend in the Sungai Limau by-election.
“The voters are intelligent enough to think as the by-election is not only about the future of Sungai Limau but also the country,” he said.
On Friday, the newly-appointed Kedah DAP interim committee deputy chairman, Syed Araniri Syed Ahmad, tendered his resignation effective immediately citing uncertainty over his party membership.
Syed Araniri, who became the Taman Wira DAP branch chief after joining the party in January last year, said he had recently found out that his membership application form was never processed.
He claimed that a CEC member told him that they forgot to process his application and those of 35 others.
“I am disappointed because this shows that DAP’s claim to protect the Malays is merely lip service.
“I decided to resign because I am not certain about my membership status and also the status of those appointed as interim committee members,” he said, adding that he had sent a message to Zairil about his decision.
