By Syed Jaymal Zahiid
The Malay Mail Online
September 29, 2013
PETALING JAYA, Sept 29 — DAP delegates sent a clear message to the Registrar of Societies (RoS) by re-electing the same 20 people as the ones chosen in the ‘illegal’ party council polls held last year.
Compelled to re-hold elections by the regulatory body, the opposition party’s grassroots voted in the same central executive committee (CEC) lineup that made the cut in the party’s December polls, which the RoS later declared illegal.
Many more of the 2,000-plus delegates who qualified to vote also chose to cast their ballot for the sole Malay representative on the committee, Zairil Khir Johari, pushing his ranking from the bottom rung in December to 12th spot this time around.
The young politician garnered 1,132 votes or 329 more than the 803 votes in the December 15 party leadership election last year.
“I’d like to congratulate those elected and those who cast their votes because they endorsed the decision made by last year’s congress and they elected the same lineup,” party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng told a press conference after holding a brief meeting with the newly elected lineup here.
Many more of the 2,000-plus delegates who qualified to vote also chose to cast their ballot for Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari, pushing his ranking from the bottom rung in December to 12th spot this time around.
The young politician was the sole Malay representative on the committee and garnered 1,132 votes or 329 more than the 803 votes he netted in the December 15 party leadership election last year.
Zairil’s position in the CEC would likely help the DAP dispel its Chinese chauvinist stigma although Lim admitted that more must be done to improve the party’s standing among the country’s Malay majority.
“We have always wanted to show that we are a party for Malaysians. Whether or not it dispel (the allegation), we still have to tackle the negative perception,” he told The Malay Mail Online.
But Lim again stressed that the most important outcome of the elections is the polls results reaffirms the decision made by the grassroots in the December congress and that the party must respect it.
“We are a democratic party and we must respect their choice but what is most important is it reaffirms the decision of the congress last year,” he said.
Apart from Zairil, academic Dr. Ariffin Omar was the other Malay who was appointed rather than elected into the council.
Ariffin was also made a vice chairmen, in an apparent move to strengthen the DAP’s multiracial credentials.
Meanwhile the party maintained all of the office bearers appointed in the December congress.
The polls result also produced a surprise when Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong obtained the highest votes at 1,438, topping party veteran Lim Kit Siang who garnered 1,436 votes.
Kit Siang was first in the last polls.
National chairman Karpal Singh, on the other hand bagged third position with 1,432 votes while his son Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo, obtained the fourth highest votes with 1,409 votes, with Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng following closely with 1,304 votes.
Others voted into the CEC are:
Chong Chieng Jen (1,294 votes)
Anthony Loke (1,263 votes)
Chow Kon Yeow (1,203 votes)
Fong Kui Lun (1,193)
Teng Chang Kim (1,164)
Tony Pua (1,158)
Teresa Kok (1,127)
Chong Eng (1,111)
M. Kulasegaran (1,088)
Tan Kok wai (1,088)
Teo Nie Ching (1,081)
Boo Cheng Hau (961)
Nga Kor Ming (956)
Ngeh Koo Ham (809)
Don’t you all understand? The RoS’s instructions are to de-register you and that is still what he will do. He has all the support behind him. So get ready to be victimised.
RoS 2 DAP: Dis time round, sure know how 2 count correctly aaah
Now that the re-election of the CEC has been complied with, the RoS should stop its intimidation of the DAP and carry out its job in a responsible manner.
By pandering to the gutter politics of UMNO B can only make you look foolish. Only an idiot persists in his error.
Be reminded or warned of the “endless possibilities” of the rotten UMNO/BN for their own kind and the worst for others…as the rot goes on in the slippery road of the nations in much deficit..
Long live DAP! Long live Malaysia! Congratulations!
The absence of money politics in the just concluded DAP CEC election is laudable.
This is not the end of the story.
They are all out to destroy the opposition.
Starting with the DAP.
The last GE had shown them that their situation is very dire!
They were in fact defeated but still held on as though they are the victors.
Rest assured that they will not just let this go!
Hold your tongue people.
Do expect more monkey business from umno!
Anyway, for now all is well.
Next round, hopefully we see a few more malay and indian names.
Its more than just vindication. DAP send out a a clear message that it is the most disciplined, motivated and focussed political party in this country right now. It may still lack a thing or two but discipline, motivation, focus are not them.
The efforts to disrupt, to create havoc within DAP are futile and yet its unbelievable how much UMNO/BN and their co-conspirators are willing to waste resources at it. They are willing to grasp at straws at unimaginable cost rather than focus on actually being better at what they do..Its a believe in negative campaigning that is PSYCHOTIC. These kinds of mentality are for the terrorist, anarchist, haters including psychotic and hallucinating.
Being disciplined and motivated is one thing but the truth is DAP are way too late in taking their sophisticated message into the rural heartland especially in Sarawak and Sabah. Andi if that is not hard enough, it needs to make sure not only that the PR coalition grows in strenght, but as the last GE shows, it can’t take granted that PR component parties can’t hold themselves together without its help.
Maybe behind the scenes umno may want to get ros to make dap have a 3rd CEC election.
Then the whole world can see how stupid ros is.
Ros will be the laughing stock of the world.
Then ros will be deregistered…. I hope.
He looks like some kind of rodent doesn’t he?
U think dis is d end of the saga?
Just sit back n wait 4 AKAN DATANG – d plot is unfolding, slowly n surely