Johor DAP chief Liew Chin Tong has been in the eye of the storm in the run-up to the state polls.
Opponents within the party have accused him of using the Johor election as a means to purge them and painted him as an aloof elitist avoiding grassroots members.
Speaking up following a resolution of the feud by central party leaders, Liew said he had exercised the utmost restraint to avoid an escalation.
Liew (above) had remained largely silent when party grassroots organised public protests over concerns that incumbent assemblypersons aligned to DAP's Tan Hong Pin, a perceived rival, would be dropped.
The party grassroots had also invited Liew to an event to demand answers and when he did not turn up, they zoomed in on an empty chair that was aired live on Facebook.
Addressing his absence, Liew said he was not avoiding the grassroots but said the event was set up by a group to be a hostile situation.
"If you set up a hostile situation... the response is to be restrained and not to engage in a hostile situation.
"As much as there is their anger, we try not to engage in a rather quarrelsome manner.
"We do not want to engage in a divisive manner because we do not want to create a situation where every side of grassroots argues with each other in an open space," he told Malaysiakini in an interview.
Led by Tan, who is the incumbent Skudai assemblyperson, the group comprises Ng Yak Howe (Bentayan), Ee Chin Li (Tangkak), Cheo Yee How (Perling), and Yeo Tung Siong (Pekan Nanas).
Following the intervention by federal DAP leaders, it was revealed that Ng, Ee, and Yeo will be re-fielded in their seats while Cheo will be dropped.
Tan, meanwhile, will not be fielded for the state polls but will be nominated as the candidate for the parliamentary seat of Labis in the general election.
Liew said this had been the plan from the onset and there was never any intention to drop all five of them.
He added there was also a proposal to move Ng from Bentayan to the riskier Jementah but the plan was scrapped.
"Essentially that was the only changes that were proposed with regard to the group led by Tan.
"From day one we are nominating (incumbents) Yeo Tung Seong for Pekan Nanas and Ee Chin Lih for Tangkak," he said.
Securing vulnerable seats
As for moving incumbent candidates from safer to riskier seats, Liew said this has always been DAP's strategy.
He pointed out that he was also planning to move an incumbent assemblyperson who is close to him to a riskier seat.
Asked if the person is incumbent Senai assemblyperson Alan Tee Boon Tsong, Liew laughed and decline to reveal names.
"The point is that we are trying to secure seats for the party and maximise our collective impact.
"The idea that incumbents can only win in the same seat is not necessarily true. The DAP creates big victories because we were able to mobilise the right people for the right place," he said.
Liew himself volunteered to leave his Kluang parliamentary seat which he won with a 7,359-vote majority in the 2013 general election to face off with MCA president Wee Ka Siong in Ayer Hitam during the 2018 general election.
He lost to Wee by a 303-vote majority. Wong Shu Qi, his replacement in Kluang, won by a 23,053-vote majority.
"The whole fiasco and controversy are much regretted because it is not the intention of the party to move people just for the sake of moving.
"It is for the sake of securing vulnerable seats," he said.
Liew also expressed disapproval at the mobilisation of party grassroots to lobby for seats, stating that he would never do so for his supporters.
"It’s never grassroots versus the elites type of dichotomy. I took a very restrained approach as I don't want anyone who supports me to mobilise.
"We do not want a situation of grassroots A versus B, there is no point. All this debate has never been about grassroots versus elites, that's a fake dichotomy.
"DAP does not have this sort of culture to mobilise members for candidature. It's not part of the DAP culture and I do not condone it. I don't think it's suitable and appropriate," he said.
Liew said he had nothing personal against Tan and that all leaders involved will have to reconcile with the Johor polls as their common objective.
He added that if leaders reconciled, their grassroots supporters will follow suit.
Johor and party polls
Liew said he personally also preferred not to contest in the state polls.
He believes he can be more effective coordinating DAP's Johor efforts instead of having to focus on one constituency but said that the candidature committee is weighing all views.
Johoreans will go to the polls on March 12. A week later, DAP members will cast their ballots in their party election to elect their central leadership on March 20.
Asked if the Johor feud has tainted his reputation ahead of the party polls, Liew said decisions can't be made based on popularity.
"We as politicians have to meet all sorts of challenges. There are times we are seen as popular and not popular.
"The point is that we should not use popularity as a guide to use to make decisions. We are making decisions for the larger good, based on conscience and also strategic considerations," he said.
He added that his immediate focus is on the Johor election.
"I’ll give every hour and every minute to try and win for DAP and win power in the state election.
"We will leave it to members to their own decisions at the party election," he said.
Tan has confirmed that he plans to contest in the DAP polls to improve transparency in the candidature selection process.
Unlike most established parties in the country, the DAP election does not see leaders clashing head-to-head for specific positions.
Under DAP's system, party members vote for their top 20 choices from a pool of candidates.
The elected top 20 will then hold a second round of voting among themselves to fill the respective positions in the party. - Mkini
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