Malim Nawar assemblyperson Leong Cheok Keng refused to comment on news reports claiming that he has applied to join MCA.
The DAP representative said he cannot comment at the moment because it involves the leaders of the other political parties.
“I assure you that if I join MCA, I will inform the media. This is what I can tell you for now,” Leong (above) told a press conference in Perak today.
However, Leong said he would consider the option of joining MCA or other parties which have engaged him.
On the same note, he claimed that Perak DAP had sidelined him over the past year and this is among the reasons which led him to consider leaving the party.
“If DAP still wants me to be their Adun (assemblyperson), why did they remove me from most of the WhatsApp groups and no longer send meeting invitations to me?” Leong asked.
He also revealed that Perak DAP leaders have repeatedly turned down his request to set up a branch in Malim Nawar.
“So, how can I serve the people?” he asked.
Leong also confirmed having received a show-cause letter over the news reports from the party's disciplinary committee.
“If they don't even accept the explanations (mentioned above), then I will have to accept their decision,” he added.
Over the past two years, Leong has been at odds with Perak DAP chairperson Nga Kor Ming.
When Tronoh assemblyperson Paul Yong was accused and later charged with raping his domestic worker, the Malim Nawar representative lambasted Nga for his position on the case.
He again criticised Nga when DAP momentarily considered working with Umno last December to form the new Perak state government.
Although remaining vague about his position, Leong, during the press conference, urged the Chinese community not to reject MCA in total since there are only a few Chinese leaders in the government.
Following the Sheraton Move, which led to the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government and the birth of the Perikatan Nasional ruling alliance, he said power is concentrated mostly in the hands of Malay leaders and this is not healthy for a multiracial nation.
“If we reject MCA to the point there are no Chinese representatives in the federal cabinet or state executive councils, will this be beneficial to the community?
"Some say they would rather die than vote for MCA because they hate what MCA used to do. But can't MCA have a second chance? They must have something good in them to survive for so long.
“That is why I think MCA is worth considering,” he added.
Leong also urged the people not to brand those who join MCA as traitors, adding that if he decided to join the BN component party, it would not lead to the collapse of the state government.
“If I cause an elected (state) government to collapse, that is probably a serious mistake. But now the state government is stable,” he added.
In the last general election, Leong defended the state seat with a resounding 6,082-vote majority, despite a three-cornered fight against MCA and PSM. He is a two-term assemblyperson in Malim Nawar.
Leong's predecessor, Keshvinder Singh, had also quit the party to become a BN-friendly assemblyperson after the Perak coup in 2009 against the Pakatan Rakyat state government. - Mkini
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