Call on MCA Vice President and Johor State Chairman Dato' Seri Chua Soi Lek to cooperate with the DAP in order to verify the identity of so-called 700 ex-DAP members who crossed over to the MCA. So far, only three persons including Wong himself have been confirmed by DAP Johor to be ex-DAP members
 

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Media Statement
by Dr Boo Cheng Hau
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(Skudai, Tuesday) : The Johor DAP would like to deny staunchly that DATO' Seri Chua Soi Lek's claim that 700 ex-DAP members and supporters, led by ex-DAP Johor State Political Education chief Wong Kok Fong, has crossed over to the MCA in the midst of the Machap by-election.

It is definitely a fabrication because the number of DAP members in Kulai (where Wong Kok Fong is from) is only about 200-plus. Dato' Seri Chua is welcome to verify with the DAP whether all the 700 new members were ever DAP members. Such cooperation between the MCA and DAP would help build a transparent, clean and democratic society.

We have received information that Wong Kok Fong would only do such a thing right before the next General Elections to embarrass Johor DAP and to tamper with its chances of breaking the Barisan Nasional hegemony in Johor. Johor DAP was taken by surprise that MCA and Wong Kok Fong actually used the said tactic during the Machap by-election.

In the 2004 General Elections when Dato' Seri Chua contested Labis parliament seat for the first time, it was also claimed that 30 to 50 DAP members crossed over to the MCA right before the General Elections. The actual fact was that fewer than 5 inactive DAP members did so.

Chua Soi Lek is viewed as the "producer" of such political dramas which I think is counter-productive to Malaysian politics and efforts to build a democratic, clean and transparent civil society. Better and healthier scripts are needed for Malaysian democracy.

In addition, I would like to clarify that Wong Kok Fong was not fielded as a DAP candidate for Kulai state seat in the 1999 General Elections. He was refused candidature by a unanimous decision by the Johor DAP State Committee due to the fact that he was not able to cough up RM40,000 -- belonging to a deceased old man -- which was in his custody.

The State Committee had directed him to fork out the money for the old man's relatives or submit it to the Jabatan Amanah Raya if no relatives came forward to claim the money. Due to the doubt that was cast on him, he was refused candidature, as public accountability is regarded highly by the DAP. Wong only forked out the RM40,000 in June 2006 and donated it to two schools, while announcing his decision to quit the DAP.

Now that Wong has joined the MCA, we wish him all the best and defend our decision to refuse his candidature in the 2004 General Elections as we think every candidate must be devoid of any doubt in conduct and personality.

(10/4/2007)