Lydia Ong: Conscience preventing me from playing the political game

SUNGAI PETANI: Lydia Ong Kok Fooi said that she will not be contesting the next general election and is quitting politics for good.

"Politics is all about playing the game and I don't want to play it anymore!" declared DAP's Berapit assemblyman.

Ong, who started her career with feminist movements, said she will not be contesting in the next general election.

"Someone said I don't know how to play the political game. I replied that I know the game and its rules, but I just don't want to play it anymore as it goes against my conscience," she said.

Ong said she joined politics despite her family's disapproval, as she thought that as a citizen, she should fight for the country.

However, she has failed to achieve her ideals so far.

"As my grandfather said, 'we really can't do anything about it'," she said.

'Pakatan Rakyat takes the old path of its opponent'

She stressed that she was not only let down by BN, but also by Pakatan Rakyat's fight for power, which is taking the old path of its opponent.

She wonders if the people still believe Pakatan Rakyat can bring about a regime change.

"Pakatan Rakyat failed to take power in the 2013 general election. Obviously, it is impossible for it to achieve the target next time.

"The country really needs a clean and honest policy maker to lead us," she said.

Time tells

Ong recalled some notable events during her political career.

She said that on the night DAP won in Penang during the 2008 general election, party members supported each other. It was a team, the force needed in politics. However, time tells and all facts and fights have become increasingly clear.

She said that Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was smart but claimed that as he was English educated man, he did not understand ethics.

She even accused him of being a chauvinist instead of a political leader defending feminism.

"He was absent during voting of the Prevention of Terrorism Bill 2015 (Pota). With his nature, he will never apologise.

"But we can't blame him as I believe he has lost confidence in people after losing everything when he was imprisoned.

"It might also because after regaining it, he can't afford to lose them again," she added.

Ong said that another possibility is there are so many people around him who do not tell him the truth and merely fan the flames.

"When you have a high expectation of something, the degree of disappointment is exacerbated if it fails," she said.

She did not answer when asked if she would continue in fighting for feminism, and just replied that the real decision-makers do not care about the people.

'Why does Lim Kit Siang want to cooperate with Dr M'?

When asked if she would stay in the party, Ong replied with a smile, "I wonder what kind of action will be taken against me after I've said so much today".

She said that a political party must be conscientious and does not understand why DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang wants to cooperate with former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

All she knows is when Lim said that the DAP could conditionally cooperate with the BN after the party successfully defended Penang in the 2013 general election, the late Karpal Singh had strongly opposed it, and said, "over my dead body".

She said that the response of Ramkarpal Singh to the issue showed that the Tiger is back.

She stressed that everyone is playing the game and no one dares come forward.

"It is a pity that our country does not have someone like former Premier of China, Chiang Ching-kuo, or Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew, even if some people accused him of being autocratic, as at least Lee had brought Singapore prosperity and made Singaporeans proud," said Ong. - Sin Chew Daily/Asia News Network