KOTA KINABALU: A DAP request to the Sabah Legislative Assembly for the Luyang seat to be declared vacant is becoming an exercise in futility.
State Assembly Deputy Speaker Datuk Johnny Mositun said this was because there was no legal basis for the request though Luyang Assemblyman Hiew King Cheu, who had won the seat on the DAP ticket, had quit the party last month.
“Whatever pledge any DAP member made was a party matter and nothing to do with the Assembly,” he said when contacted Thursday.
Sabah DAP chief Jimmy Wong, who submitted the party’s letter to Mositun on Wednesday, said that Hiew had signed a pledge before the 13th general election that he would vacate the Luyang seat if he quit the party.
Wong said Hiew had also signed an acknowledgement that the pledge was lawful and irrevocable.
He said many Luyang voters had felt cheated and betrayed as they had voted for DAP and not the individual.
However, Hiew said he could not fathom why DAP was making a fuss about his decision to quit the party.
He his decision to leave DAP would not affect his ability to serve his constituents.
“It is my constitutional and democratic right to choose and decide the course of action and direction which is best for my Luyang constituency,” he added.
Win a prize this Mother's Day by subscribing to our annual plan now! T&C applies.
