SANDAKAN: Sabah DAP denied suffering from a mass exodus of members following the exit of its former chairman, Datuk Frankie Poon.
Sabah DAP Secretary Vivian Wong said such claims were aimed at giving the public a false perception of the party, adding that no divisions were dissolved after Poon’s departure.
“Only a small number of members left the party, while the relevant divisions are still functioning as usual.
“Their (claim of a mass exodus) is a cheap political ploy aimed at misleading the people and tarnishing DAP’s reputation,” the Sandakan MP said.
Wong also denied that Poon and former Sabah DAP secretary Liau Fui Fui had been sidelined by the party.
She pointed out that Poon and Liau were given posts in GLCs on Sabah DAP’s recommendation, while the latter was fielded to contest the Batu Sapi parliamentary seat during the 2022 general election.
Liau lost the election to Gabungan Rakyat Sabah’s Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan, who won with a 4,821-vote majority.
“Now, they accuse the party of not appreciating their contributions. That is a baseless allegation,” said Wong.
“DAP always upholds the principles of fairness, integrity and having a team spirit. We have never made decisions based on personal interests but for the sake of serving the people and pushing for reforms.
“They left the party in the name of championing the people, but the reality is that it was purely for their own political interests,” she added.
Poon and Liau quit DAP last month, claiming that the state chapter’s current leadership favoured younger members and sidelined veterans despite their contributions over the years.
The pair claimed that members of two DAP branches had followed them in leaving the party.
Poon was the outgoing Assemblyman for Tanjong Papat, which he has represented for two terms now, and also served as a state minister from 2018 to 2020.
