Guan Eng: Resignations a "gift" for Barisan

PETALING JAYA: The unexpected resignation of four Malacca DAP elected representatives has given Barisan Nasional a gift ahead of the forthcoming general election, said Lim Guan Eng.

The DAP secretary-general added that the four could not accept their rejection by party members during the 2015 state party convention.

He said that any member who loved the party would have communicated policy differences with the leadership but none of them did so.

“They appear confused as to what policy differences they are unhappy about. They also seem confused about the rationale for resigning, which appears more to be an act of personal retaliation for their defeat in the Malacca state party elections and subsequent suspension for one year,” Lim said in a statement on Monday.

On Sunday, Kota Melaka MP Sim Tong Him and three state assemblymen dropped a bombshell by quitting the party.

Sim said the four had quit because the DAP now has no proper direction and had deviated from its core objectives.

The other three who quit are former Malacca DAP chairman Goh Leong San (DAP-Duyong), Lim Jak Wong (DAP-Bachang) and Chin Choon Seong (DAP-Kesidang).

Lim, who is the Penang Chief Minister claimed that he was mistaken to trust Sim and his faction leaders despite their differences with the DAP Central Executive Committee(CEC).

“I am saddened to hear Sim saying that he leaves the party he joined for nearly 35 years without any heartache,” said Lim who added that their resignations were unexpected.

Lim said the party did not change but that Sim and his faction changed after their defeat.

He claimed that they focused their attacks on the party rather than on Barisan Nasional’s corruption scandals or the excesses of the Malacca Chief Minister.

“Instead of working to win back the confidence of Malacca DAP members, they turned against DAP for spurning them, leading to a one year suspension by the party,” he said.

He added that DAP members and leaders must pick themselves up from their betrayal, saying that no individual was bigger than the party.

Lim said the he and several executive leaders of the party would hold a meeting with Malacca DAP leaders on Tuesday.