Contrary to Johor DAP chief Liew Chin Tong's claim that he did not face a challenge, Malaysiakini learned that state executive councillor Tan Hong Pin had entered the ring during Sunday's contest.
According to party sources, Liew, who retained his position for the third term, did not expect Tan to mount the "surprise attack".
He also did not foresee Tan cooperating with former state chief Dr Boo Cheng Hau, given their acrimonious past.
DAP has a two-tier election system. In the first round, delegates from branches elect the state committee members, who in turn elect the 15-member state line-up in the second round of polling.
Tan joined DAP in 2004 and served as Boo's assistant for several years. However, their relationship deteriorated after the 13th general election.
During the Johor DAP election in 2014, Liew contested against Boo for the state leadership and Tan picked the challenger over his master.
Since then, Boo's political career has been on a downward trend.
However, he managed to win a seat in the state committee this time around after failing to do so in the 2015 polls, and subsequently lost his position as a central committee member in the 2017 DAP re-election.
In the last general election, DAP fielded Tan (photo) instead of Boo, a former Skudai assemblyperson, for the seat. This further fractured the relationship between the two.
A party source said former Bekok assemblyperson Lim Eng Guan nominated Tan for the Johor state chief post, which Boo seconded.
Liew bagged eight votes against Tan's four. Three abstained.
However, several sources told Malaysiakini that if the election was done in the form of secret ballots as opposed to a show of hands, Tan might have staged an upset.
After failing to unseat Liew, Tan contested the state secretary post and defeated the incumbent and state assembly deputy speaker Gan Peck Cheng, who was nominated by Liew.
On Boo's request, the voting was done via secret ballots.
“Tan won big. If I am not mistaken, he garnered nine votes against Gan's five.
“There were several spoilt votes. So if the election for the state chief was also carried out via secret ballots, Tan might have received more votes,” said one source.
Malaysiakini learned that the eight who voted for Liew are federal minister Yeo Bee Yin, deputy minister Teo Nie Ching, state executive councillors Liow Cai Tung and Sheikh Omar Ali, Kluang MP Wong Shu Qi, Gan as well as two state assemblypersons Ee Chin Li and Tan Chen Choon.
Tan's votes came from state assemblypersons Cheo Yee How and Ng Yak Howe as well as Lim and Boo.
Apart from Tan and Liew (photo) who abstained, state assemblyperson Yeo Tung Seong also chose not to vote.
Liew's preferred candidates were also defeated in other posts by those aligned to Tan, leading a source to claim that the state chief does not have full control over the committee.
“Liew nominated Gan for state secretary but the latter was unsuccessful.
“Liew nominated Wong for organising secretary but the post was won by Ng and everyone knows Ng is in Tan's camp,” added the source.
The source also described the election outcome as the “return of Boo and his disciples”.
“These disciples were once recruited by Liew. However, they have returned to Boo's side perhaps because Liew does not have a cordial relationship with them,” added the source.
However, a Liew supporter disagreed with this and accused Boo and those aligned to him of not having principles.
Both Liew and Tan have declined to comment. - Mkini
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