Former Johor DAP deputy chief quits party

JOHOR BARU: Former state DAP deputy chairman Norman Fernandez has resigned from the party with immediate effect.

The move comes days after the state committee referred him to the national disciplinary committee over his "negative postings" on Facebook.

In a brief letter to party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, Fernandez said he "no longer shares the idealism of the party and the path taken by its leaders."

In the letter, which was made available to the media Monday, Fernandez said to continue his membership would constrain and inhibit his freedom to express his views and criticise, particularly DAP's continued alliance with PAS.

Fernandez courted controversy when he called on voters to reject PAS in the days leading to the general election last year, saying that the country could not gamble and risk its future with the Islamist party.

State DAP secretary Gan Peck Cheng said a meeting held on July 5 saw 18 out of 20 state committee members voting for the motion to refer Fernandez to the disciplinary panel while two others abstained.

Present at the meeting was DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang.

Gan said Fernandez's Facebook posts had compromised the party’s image in the eyes of the public.

It is learnt that in a private Facebook post, Fernandez had criticised several DAP leaders calling them "hypocrites" for attacking the Prime Minister over his speech on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) but remained quiet when the PAS president’s son-in-law voiced support for the militant group.

It is learnt that the posting was removed before the resolution was passed on Saturday.

Sources said although this was the first time that Fernandez had been referred to the disciplinary committee, he was no stranger to controversy due to his hard stance against PAS, especially on the hudud issue.