Melaka DAP chairman 'heartbroken' after trusted ally switched camps

MELAKA: Melaka DAP chairman Datuk Tey Kok Kiew (pic) says he was "heartbroken" when his trusted lieutenant announced support for their political foes.

He said he was the most upset person in the party because Pengkalan Batu assemblyman Norhizam Hassan Baktee had always been very supportive of DAP.

"We never treated him as an underdog as he is still our Melaka DAP deputy chairman," he said on Tuesday (March 3).

Tey said Norhizam was with Melaka DAP until the last moment when the Melaka state government fell into a crisis on Monday (March 2).

"DAP doesn't serve people based on race and Norhizam knows this.

"We have defended him all the way including on the Indonesian wild boar invasion issue," he said.

Tey said Norhizam, who is also popularly known as “YB Hulk”, had betrayed his comrades and constituents.

"He shouldn't do this to us," he added.

Tey said he and Norhizam have not contacted the other.

"I will let my party leadership determine Norhizam's fate," he said.

When contacted, Norhizam said he expects to be sacked for being present at the Perikatan Nasional press conference at Ayer Keroh here on Monday.

He also asked Melaka Pakatan Harapan chief Adly Zahari to understand what had caused him to support Perikatan.

"From day one there was a communication breakdown between all of us and Adly had never backed me up during controversies, instead he was not keen to help me and I was labelled as 'champion of wild boar shooting' by my own administration," he said.

Norhizam said he will explain to Tey on the reason why he had made the eleventh-hour decision to support rival lawmakers.

"Adly should have been vocal from day one to safeguard the state government," he said, adding that another DAP lawmaker is also contemplating to cross over due to disillusionment with the Adly's administration.

Norhizam had said he made an eleventh-hour decision to leave Pakatan Harapan as he was disillusioned with Melaka DAP for not appreciating his hard work and defending him when was criticised over his claim that wild boar were crossing over the Melaka Straits from Indonesia.

In Sept 5 last year, Norhizam claimed in a state assembly meeting that Melaka was being populated with wild boar from Indonesia.

Norhizam said fishermen reported seeing snouts in the dark along the coastal lines of Melaka almost every night.

"The sea-borne invasion of wild boars leaves us in despair as the animal population is increasing in Melaka.

"The mystical island of Pulau Besar here has witnessed widespread damage from the 'migration' of dozens of these wild boars, including piglets," he had said.