Suspense at demo for new DAP polls

Angry words were exchanged over a trespass claim, but no one was bruised.

PRAI: A demonstration calling for fresh DAP polls nearly turned ugly today when a rival group claimed that the protesters had trespassed into its territory.

Ten members of a local DAP branch confronted the spokesman for the protesters, MV Mathialagan, and told him he needed their consent to use the open space in Taman Supreme here.

“If you want to protest against the DAP election, hold it in Komtar or at your place,” one of them said to Mathialagan, who leads the Penang Tamil Welfare Services Association as well as the Malaysian Tamil Security Council. He also referred to himself as “president” of the Indian Progressive Front.

The confrontation occurred just after the 10-minute demonstration had ended.

The 20-odd demonstrators held up banners calling on the DAP leadership to hold a fresh election for its central executive committee. One banner expressed disappointment that Penang Deputy Chief Minister P Ramasamy had failed to get himself elected to the committee.

The local DAP group told Mathialagan that the demonstration was damaging to both Ramasamy and DAP.

“You are not from here,” a member of the group said. “Why do you want to hold the protest here?”

As Mathialagan was walking to his car, the DAP members were heard shouting, “BN agent” and “Don’t hold demos for money.”

As this time, DAP Batu Kawan leader M Ramachandran arrived at the scene and told Mathialagan to face him.

When Mathialagan did so, Ramachandran said: “You take care of yourself and clean up your own party first. You don’t need to take care of Ramasamy. Ramasamy knows how to care for himself.”

Despite the angry exchange of words, there was no physical contact between the two sides.

Mathialagan told newsmen that “some top and grassroots leaders” of DAP had asked his group to hold the demonstration.

“The whole election fiasco was unfair to Indian and Malay candidates,” he said.

Ramachandran also spoke to reporters. He said he rushed to the scene after receiving a call from the leader of the local residents association about the demonstration.

“This is a peaceful place,” he said. “We don’t want any trouble here.”

He challenged Mathialagan to reveal the names of DAP leaders who had asked him to hold the demonstration.

No fresh polls

DAP chief Karpal Singh said yesterday the CEC decision against conducting fresh polls was final. He said Section 18c of the Societies Act gave the party the power to make a final decision on the matter and that the decision could not be challenged in court.

DAP has admitted that there was a glitch in the tabulation of votes at the party election held on Dec 15 in Penang.

An audit showed that appointed CEC member Zairil Khir Johari garnered 803 votes as opposed to the 305 announced earlier, enough for him to become an elected member.

Vincent Wu, on the other hand, received 669 votes as opposed to the 1,202 announced at the end of the voting. He had to vacate his seat among elected CEC members and join the ranks of appointed members.

Two disgruntled DAP leaders have lodged a report with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) claiming there was manipulation in the vote tally.

Some branch leaders have also called for fresh polls, claiming that Indian members were surprised by Ramasamy’s defeat.