SINCE LOSING JOHOR LEADERSHIP TO CHIN TONG, BOO CHENG HAU HAS BEEN JUMPING FROM ONE ‘SULK’ TO ANOTHER: NOW IN THE NAME OF ‘LOCAL INTEREST’, BOO REFUSES TO FIGHT TEE YONG IN LABIS

Johor DAP could be on the cusp of internal conflict after disagreements arose on who should take on MCA vice-president Chua Tee Yong in the parliamentary seat of Labis.

Several DAP sources told Malaysiakini that the party’s central leadership had offered the seat to former Johor chief Boo Cheng Hau, in exchange for him leaving the Skudai state seat he has held for two terms.

Should Boo take the offer, it is learned that Mengkibol assemblyperson Tan Hong Pin will take his place in Skudai. In turn, the Mengkibol state seat would go to DAP greenhornJohnson Chew Chong Sin.

The plan, however, may fall apart with Boo declining to move to Labis, and insisting on defending Skudai.

When queried, current Johor DAP chief Liew Chin Tong confirmed the party central leadership had offered Boo the Labis seat.

He declined to comment, however, on whether Boo would be allowed to stay in Skudai after rejecting a shot at Parliament.

‘Not qualified to stand’

Boo, meanwhile, told Malaysiakini that he did not receive any “official offer” to fight in Labis, and feels he is unqualified for the seat.

“Other than Skudai, I do not intend to contest in another area to prevent locals feeling that they are being abandoned.

“I told the locals that I will continue to serve them should they vote me back into the state assembly. I will do better to serve.

“I do not wish to go to Labis, and I did not receive any official offer. I lost in the central executive committee election last year, and I am not even a state committee member, just an ordinary member and a branch committee member.

“It will be a joke if I challenge Chua like this. I believe party leadership should send a more qualified leader to go against Chua,” he said when contacted.

However, Boo stressed that the seat should not just go to the “associates” of leaders.

“I advise the Johor DAP leadership to not only focus on distributing seats to associates to prevent being viewed as practising cronyism. They should serve the voters and mobilise the grassroots as early as possible.”

He added that the central leadership should let the grassroots nominate a candidate before making a decision, as per party convention.

A native to Johor Bahru, Boo has been active in Skudai for years, and was elected assemblyperson for the first time in 2008 with 12,854 vote majority.

He increased his majority to 18,050 votes in the 13th general election.

Master vs disciple?

Meanwhile, a Boo supporter criticised the central party leadership for wanting to pit Tan against Boo for the Skudai seat.

“Why would you send Tan to come to Skudai? Isn’t that pitting the master against his disciple, which will consequently break up the party?” the supporter told Malaysiakini on the condition of anonymity.

But just as Boo does not want to abandon Skudai, Tan wants to stay in Mengkibol, which is under the Kluang parliament constituency held by Liew.

“I have an unwritten rule with Liew. One of us will stay in Kluang.

“I have cultivated Mengkibol for five years and have even moved here. I have built deep relationships in Kluang. I feel the Kluang constituent’s support.

“My presence in Mengkibol will help the party strengthen Kluang. Regardless of whether any newbies or outstation leaders are fielded here, I can play a role (in ensuring victory),” he said.

Tan won Mengkibol with a 10,001 vote majority in 2013, while Liew captured Kluang with a 7,359 vote majority.

Liew, however, will be moving to the neighbouring Ayer Hitam parliamentary seat to stand against MCA deputy president Wee Ka Siong.

‘It’s complicated’

Boo, Tan and Liew share a complicated relationship. Tan joined DAP in 2004, and served as Boo’s assistant for years.

Both were seen as political master and disciple, but their relationship changed after GE13.

During the Johor DAP election in 2014, Liew contested against Boo for the state leadership. But instead of supporting his master, Tan became one of Liew’s lieutenants instead.

With Boo refusing to go to Labis, it is learned that the DAP central leadership is considering fielding Senai assemblyperson Wong Shu Qi in the parliamentary seat instead.

While there is speculation that Wong would defend Kluang for DAP, she had in an interview with Oriental Daily said that the party is mulling fielding her in Labis.

She reportedly said that she would not decline the offer.

Labis is a mixed seat which has 44.96 percent Chinese, 37.98 percent Malay and 14.66 percent Indian voters, according to the latest electoral rolls.

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✍ Sumber Pautan : ☕ Malaysia Chronicle

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