Guan Eng: DAP will fight to kick out chauvinistic leaders

 

DAP's Central Executive Committee (CEC) leadership will fight to reject chauvinistic leaders, says the party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.

In his opening speech at the Kuala Lumpur DAP ordinary convention today, Lim reiterated that DAP is for Malaysians and will not be a chauvinistic party.

"Let me give you an assurance that the CEC leadership is willing to fight to reject leaders who want to deviate from the multi-racial and multi-religious framework.

"[..] DAP will not be racists and religious extremists like PAS or subservient like MCA, MIC, and GPS to PAS," said the Bagan MP.

While he did not name anyone, Lim was believed to have referred to the party's central committee member Ronnie Liu who said that the party should not "dilute its Chinese-ness" to gain Malay support.

During a media conference later, when asked to comment on Liu's statement, Lim said he had explained the party's stance in his speech but refused to refer to any particular individual.

Liu's statement had received criticism from the likes of DAP heavyweights Tony Pua and Hannah Yeoh, with Pua saying that Liu is the "Chinese chauvinist the party doesn't need".

Pua had stated that DAP has been labelled as a "chauvinist party" for decades due to the frequency at which Chinese-related issues were raised as it focused its effort to ensure the rights of the minority were not trampled during the BN's rule.

However, since 2005, the party under Lim's leadership had made a concerted effort to detach itself from the chauvinistic label and image.

In his message to the representatives today, Lim reminded that there is no point in winning party elections only to lose the general elections.

"It is more important to defeat the traitors of the people's mandate and restore a people's government that works for the people and listens to the people," he said.

[More to follow] - Mkini