Having lost faith in DAP, two Sabah reps quit party

We’re out: Chong (left) and Wong’s exit leaves the DAP with four assemblymen in Sabah.

KOTA KINABALU: Two Sabah DAP assemblymen have quit the party, citing their loss of confidence in their party.The resignation of Calvin Chong (Elopura) and Justin Wong (Sri Tanjung) from the DAP leaves the party with four assemblymen in Sabah.

Also resigning with them was former senator Adrian Lasimbang.

In a statement, they expressed their disappointment with their party for losing its direction.

They added that they began their political careers to strive for a better Sabah. They wished for greater autonomy, better infrastructure and greener spaces for Sabah “and more importantly, a more inclusive society that transcends race and religion”.

They said there was no better time to realise these aspirations than now, especially with the proposed amendments to Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution.

The article refers to Sabah and Sarawak which will no longer be referred to as East Malaysia, but the “Borneo states” once amendments to the Federal Constitution are passed.

On Nov 3 last year, the Bill was tabled for the first reading in Dewan Rakyat. Among others, it seeks to restore the position of Sabah and Sarawak in line with the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

Chong and Lasimbang were voted out of the Sabah DAP committee in November last year while Justin has been critical of the state leadership under Datuk Frankie Poon as he was pursuing a bipartisan deal with the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah government.

In their statement, they felt that there was an imminent need to choose a more viable platform that would allow them to better serve Sabah.

“It has almost become impeccable for Sabah leaders to start looking for issues that will resonate well with the needs and wants of all Sabahans.

“Unfortunately, we could not find this with the Sabah DAP. There is a lack of trust portrayed by our leadership in the state committee, particularly the state chairman.

“The loss of direction, serious internal division and almost defunct level of communication between leaders have caused us to believe that the party is no longer a party that will strive to work for the people. And it is getting corrosive.

“Therefore, with a heavy heart, we hereby announce that we are leaving the DAP with immediate effect,” the statement said.