Support for DAP strong, despite Hannah, Jagdeep controversies, says analyst

 

The selection of Asia Mobiliti, a firm linked to Hannah Yeoh’s husband, for a Selangor project and a motion to appoint Jagdeep Singh Deo’s father-in-law as the head of a Penang appeals board has raised the ire of many recently.

PETALING JAYA: A political analyst has downplayed recent controversies surrounding two prominent DAP figures, saying support for the party is unlikely to be affected as they did not involve major scandals.

James Chin of the University of Tasmania said these were “minor cases” compared to allegations of corruption and abuse of power by past politicians involving larger contracts and billions of ringgit in public funds.

He was commenting on the furore that arose after the Selangor government announced the award of a state project to a firm (Asia Mobiliti) linked to the husband of youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh.

The other incident involved the proposed appointment of Penang deputy chief minister II Jagdeep Singh Deo’s father-in-law to head the state’s freedom of information appeals board, a position the latter has since declined.

ADVERTISING

Chin said these recent issues will not affect DAP or the Pakatan Harapan coalition, despite their own insistence on transparency and good governance.

“Yes, they have come at a bad time, but it’s not going to alter the perception of DAP (among its supporters).

“If this was a big fat contract and the person has access to big government money, it would be a different story. These are minor appointments,” he told FMT.

Chin added that the intended appointment of Jagdeep’s father-in-law was simply a political move, a norm in Malaysian politics.

He said several other party leaders and members have also been handed positions in government-linked companies and statutory bodies since the formation of the unity administration, despite protests from civil society and opposition parties.

“It is widely understood that any political party, if they get into power, would appoint their own supporters (to these positions). This is part and parcel of politics in Malaysia,” said Chin.

He said the controversies surrounding Yeoh and Jagdeep are unlikely to have any impact on PH’s campaign for the upcoming Sungai Bakap by-election.

Meanwhile, Azmil Tayeb of Universiti Sains Malaysia said the two controversies did not reflect well on DAP, adding that it attracted unnecessary scrutiny on the practice of nepotism.

He said its political rivals could weaponise these matters, noting that both Perikatan Nasional and MCA have issued press statements on the subject.

However, Azmil also does not expect these issues to sway voters against PH in Sungai Bakap.

“Regardless, the main concern among voters is still the bread-and-butter issues, which will play a role in the Sungai Bakap by-election,” he said.

Various parties had highlighted the possibility of preferential treatment and conflict of interests in Selangor’s selection of Asia Mobiliti and another firm to run a nine-month proof of concept for a transit project in the Klang Valley.

Yeoh’s husband, M Ramachandran, is Asia Mobiliti’s CEO.

The company and state government have maintained that everything is above board, while the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission is probing the matter.

Separately, last Thursday, the Penang state assembly by a unanimous motion resolved to appoint six members to an appeals board set up under the state’s Freedom of Information Enactment 2010, with Jagdeep’s father-in-law named as its chairman.

Baldev Singh Gurchan Singh, however, declined the appointment shortly after chief minister Chow Kon Yeow was urged to justify it. - FMT