DAP: No gag order, just advisory

KUALA LUMPUR: DAP has said that a circular asking party leaders not to hold press conferences or issue statements on matters related to Penang Chief Minister’s bungalow and the Taman Manggis land is an advisory and not a gag order.

DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke  (pic) said the words “gag order” were not at all mentioned in the e-mail circular sent to party members.  

“The party leadership never issued a gag order. This is just an advice from the Penang leadership that they have appointed a few spokespersons to speak on the matter.  

“The advisory is only for Penang reps. The advice is that let these few spokespersons handle this issue,” Loke said, adding that the e-mail was not sent to other DAP lawmakers.  

He added that the advisory was released to avoid confusing the public.  

“We think that it is better for a few spokespersons who have the full facts on the issue to talk to the press so as not to confuse the public,” he said, adding that DAP members were still free to speak about it.

“If they want to talk, nobody can stop them anyway,” Loke said, without divulging what led to the issuing of the advisory.  

Klang MP Charles Santiago said the Penang bungalow issue was not something to be gagged.  

“When I go back (to Klang), people are going to ask me. I can’t say that there is a gag order.  

“That would be stupid of me. This is not a matter on which you issue a gag order. This is a matter which needs to be explained to people for the truth to be revealed,” he said.  

Earlier, it was reported that a gag order on the Penang Chief Minister’s bungalow issue as well as the growing controversy over the Taman Manggis land had been issued to all DAP leaders.  

A circular sent out by a Penang DAP official asked party leaders not to comment or issue statements on the two matters that have rocked the party in Penang.  

Only four leaders have been authorised to comment. They are secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, Penang DAP chairman and senior state exco member Chow Kon Yeow, exco member Jagdeep Singh Deo and party legal adviser Gobind Singh Deo.