DAP chief denies betrayal claims
(The Star) – State DAP chief Liew Chin Tong (pic) has defended its party members against Skudai assemblyman Dr Boo Cheng Hau’s allegations that he had been backstabbed and betrayed.
Admitting that there was a written instruction disallowing Dr Boo from taking part in events in other constituencies, Liew said the state DAP committee had unanimously decided that assemblymen should be consulted before other leaders meddle in their affairs.
“This was to avoid any confusion and contradictory statements made to the public following complaints by elected representatives that Dr Boo has been meddling in their constituencies.
“He claimed he was betrayed but a lot of badmouthing about me has also been going on. We should just let all issues rest and move on together to build a stronger DAP,” he told reporters here yesterday.
On Monday, Dr Boo announced that he had tendered his resignation as Johor Opposition leader, a post he had held since 2008.
Dr Boo, who had been part of the committee for the past 20 years, cited betrayal as reason for stepping down, claiming that some of the members had boycotted and backstabbed him since the last general election in 2013.The new committee, said Liew, had immediately offered to appoint Dr Boo into the line-up but he turned down the offer.
“The committee usually chooses five more members into the line-up following the state party election and we have offered this option to Dr Boo,” he said, adding that the selection would be carried out at its next meeting on Oct 24.
Liew said the polls outcome was based solely on the sentiments of the 325 delegates who voted on Sunday and “we should not take it too personally as there are winners and losers in any election.”
“Let’s not burn the house down just because of internal differences. The wisdom and wishes of the delegates should be respected.
“On behalf of the party, I thank him for his contributions to Johor DAP and I hope he will reconsider his decision to resign as state opposition leader and accept the co-option to be a state DAP committee member.”
