I happened to be in Melaka as a guest of DAP Melaka DAP’s Chinese New Year open house.
At the request of the media, an impromptu press conference was held with Melaka DAP Chairman Tey Kok Kiew, Melaka DAP Secretary Khoo Poay Tiong, Kota Laksamana State Assemblyman Lai Kuen Ban and the state leadership to respond to the resignation of the four DAP elected representatives.
I thank the four who quit the party for their past contributions and I wish them well.
However, I stressed that to quit the party after losing internal party election is not, and shall not, be part of DAP’s culture. Win or lose, we stay true with the party.
To suggest that the DAP has betrayed its ideals and to use that as an excuse to quit the party is a lame excuse, and it won’t go very far with the voters.
In time of national crisis, the next election will be drawn between those who support Prime Minister Najib Razak’s global kleptocracy and those who oppose it. DAP’s national mission is to save Malaysia from further decays, slides and collapses.
It is in such context that the DAP strategically works with Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Bersatu. No one sacrifices its principles. It is a matter of working together to save Malaysia.
In a battle between kleptocracy and democracy, “third force” such as Hadi Awang’s PAS exists to be a spoiler, with the ultimate aim of benefiting Najib and BN.
I am not sure if the four departing representatives are seeing themselves as the third force of sort not dissimilar to Hadi’s.