Ronnie’s exit a huge loss to DAP, says analyst

 

Ronnie Liu, a sometimes controversial member of the DAP leadership, is to leave the party after 41 years.

PETALING JAYA: Ronnie Liu’s decision to quit DAP is a huge loss to the party as the former central executive committee member never shied from questioning the leadership, an analyst said.

James Chin of the University of Tasmania said Liu was among those who was “brave enough” to question Lim Guan Eng when the latter was the DAP secretary-general.

“Ronnie was one of the guys who was willing to challenge Guan Eng and other key leaders if he disagreed with them,” he told FMT.

Liu also stuck with DAP through thick and thin, Chin said. “DAP went through a very difficult time during the Mahathir era”, when Dr Mahathir Mohamad was prime minister from 1981-2003.

Chin said Liu was “one of the people who stuck with DAP no matter what”, despite the fact that he could have easily been arrested and detained under the Internal Security Act.

“He was one of the few leaders who was willing to sacrifice his life for DAP” to the extent that family members told him many times to be careful when DAP was under pressure.

Chin said that Liu’s decision to leave the party would not be the end of his political career. Liu was elected state assemblyman for Pandamaran in 2008 and represented Sungai Pelek from 2018 to 2022.

Liu “really has politics in his blood therefore he will look for some other platform,” said Chin. “He is just stepping down from DAP and I think he’s sick and tired of all the internal and factional politics.”

Liu announced his exit from the party last night.

DAP organising secretary Steven Sim told FMT that the party respected Liu’s decision and “expresses gratitude for all his contributions to the party thus far”.

A central executive committee member, Ng Suee Lim, said Liu’s contribution to the party will always be remembered.

“As a fellow comrade, your (Ronnie Liu) contributions are always valued and your service will be remembered,” said Ng, who is Speaker of the Selangor state assembly.

Liu had sometimes been a controversial figure in DAP as he would at times refuse to toe the party line.

In the run-up to the general election in November last year, Liu said some DAP supporters were frustrated with the leadership’s decision to drop a number of elected representatives.

He said the selection of candidates smacked of nepotism and cronyism.

In September, he criticised an amendment to the party constitution by which elected representatives who do not toe the party line on fundamental issues would automatically lose their membership. - FMT