Not being a ‘yes man’ may cost Santiago his seat, says DAP veteran

 

Charles Santiago (second from right) during a visit to the Port Klang jetty last month to monitor possible flood and sea level rise in Klang. (Charles Santiago Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: If DAP drops Charles Santiago from its list of election candidates, it may be due to his frankness, according to party veteran Ronnie Liu.

Liu said Santiago’s outspokenness had put him in the bad books of certain party leaders although it was one of the personal traits that had endeared him to the public.

Liu, who is himself known to have been critical of DAP and its leaders, said those whose views differed from that of the party’s top leaders were “doomed”, especially if these leaders had a say in the selection of candidates.

“’Yes men’ always get their surat watikah and Santiago is not a ‘yes man’,” he told FMT.

Surat watikah are the appointment letters that political parties issue to candidates before an election.

Yesterday, a party source told FMT that Santiago would not be contesting for any seat for DAP.

The source said V Ganabatirau, the Selangor exco member for social welfare and employee empowerment, was likely to replace Santiago.

Klang Little India Association president Charles Manickam has pleaded with DAP not to drop Santiago, describing him as a “precious stone”.

He said Santiago had done a lot for Klang, adding that this was especially obvious during the floods that struck parts of Selangor last year.

“He was constantly on the ground and trying his best to do what he could for the people,” he said.

Manickam also said the 70,000-vote majority Santiago secured in the last general election spoke volumes of his work, adding that such a feat was not easy.

Berry Ng, a Klang municipal councillor, said he hoped Santiago would remain as MP for Klang.

Santiago would be the first person on the ground every time “something happens” in Klang, he said. - FMT