Press Statement By DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng In DAP Headquarters In Kuala Lumpur On 20.4.2013.
Sim Tong Him Can Not Contest Under DAP As Parliamentary Candidate for Kota Melaka And At The Same Time As An Independent State Candidate For Kota Laksamana.
DAP urges DAP Parliamentary candidate for Kota Melaka Sim Tong Him to publicly withdraw as an independent candidate for the Kota Laksamana state seat as well as declaring full support for DAP official state candidate Lai Kuen Ban. By putting himself as an independent candidate for Kota Laksamana against Lai Kuen Ban, Sim is doing not only the party a great disservice but also set back the hopes of Melaka voters who had wanted to see a change of government in Malaysia from BN to PR.
There was no communication whatsoever from Sim to the party leadership that he wanted to contest in Kota Laksamana state seat as an independent. Clearly this shocking action of a DAP parliamentary candidate also standing as an independent candidate against the official DAP candidate in the state seat has brought shame to DAP. Such an act would invite automatic expulsion from the party as stated by DAP Deputy National Chairman Tan Kok Wai.
However in view of Sim’s years in the party, the DAP central leadership is still willing to give him an opportunity to correct this grievous error by publicly withdrawing from the state contest and giving full support to Lai. This would enable Sim to concentrate on winning the Kota Melaka parliamentary seats and all the state seats in his constituency.
The DAP Melaka state committee including Sim had opposed the Central Executive Committee(CEC) 4-man candidate selection committee’s recommendation to nominate a medical doctor and church elder, Dr Wong Fort Ping to contest in the Kota Laksamana state seat. Sim had mentioned some wild allegations against Dr Wong, which were completely unfounded. DAP Melaka Chair Goh Leong San even threatened to close down the election operations center if Dr Wong was selected. Goh was willing to accept anyone except Dr Wong.
To avoid Goh carrying out his threat to close down the election operations center, Sdr Lim Kit Siang had called up Sim to propose a compromise candidate, Sdr Lai Kuen Ban. This was finally agreed to by Sim. For that reason, the party fails to see why Sim is behaving so irrationally in opposing Lai Kuen Ban’s candidacy when Sim had earlier agreed with Sdr Lim Kit Siang on Lai’s candidacy.
DAP hopes that Sim can quickly correct this grave error so that the party can move forward to persuade voters to replace BN in Melaka. Failure to do so would only delight and benefit BN by making it more difficult for PR to retain existing and win new seats.
Presently DAP refuses to entertain suspicion and rumours that Sim’s shocking action in contesting under DAP in a parliamentary seat but as an independent in a state seat is somehow related to some grand design by BN to sabotage DAP’s election campaign. Sim Tong Him just can not contest under a DAP ticket for the parliamentary seat of Kota Melaka and at the same time contest as an independent state candidate for Kota Laksamana. Sim can not have one leg in the DAP boat and the other leg in a non-DAP boat.
LIM GUAN ENG
—–Mandarin Version —-
民主行动党秘书长林冠英于2013年4月20日于吉隆坡行动党总部发表的声明：
沈同钦不能一脚踏两船，在以行动党旗帜在马六甲市国会议席上阵的同时，不能以独立人士身分在哥打拉沙马那区州议席上阵。
民主行动党吁请行动党马六甲市国会议席候选人沈同钦，公开退出欲以独立人士身份上阵哥打拉沙马那区州议席的决定，并宣布全力支持行动党候选人赖君万。沈同钦选择在哥打拉沙马那区州议席以独立人士身份对抗赖君万的举动，不只是对党带来很大的伤害，也同时让那些想要把国阵换掉、以民联政府取代的马六甲选民失望。
在这之前，沈同钦并未曾针对他有意在哥打拉沙马那区州议席以独立人士身份上阵一事，与党领导层沟通。显然，这是令人震惊的行动– 一名行动党国会候选人，同时却以独立人士身份上阵以对抗行动党委任的候选人。这给行动党带来了耻辱。诚如全国副主席陈国伟所言：此举等于自动开除党籍。
然而，看在沈同钦在党内多年，行动党中央委员会依然愿意给他一个机会来纠正这项严重错误– 也即是公开退选州议席，并全力支持赖君万。这将让沈同钦可以集中精神赢取马六甲市 国会议席，以及其国会选区下的州议席。
包括沈同钦在内的马六甲行动党州委，早前曾反对行动党中委4人候选人遴选小组所推选黄和平医生为哥打拉沙马那区州议席候选人。沈同志曾提出一些对黄医生不利的指控，而这些指控则是没有根据的。马六甲行动党州主席吴良山甚至恫言，若黄和平医生获选为候选人，他要关闭其竞选中心。吴氏表明：除了黄和平，他愿意接受任何候选人人选。
为了避免吴良山关闭其竞选中心，林吉祥联系上沈同钦同志，并提出一名可以妥协的候选人– 赖君万同志。这最终也获得沈同钦同志的同意。既然沈同钦经认同林吉祥有关赖君万为候选人的决定，因此，党不解为何沈同钦却表现得如此不理性。
行动党希望沈同钦可以尽快纠正这项严重的错误，以便党得以向前迈进，说服马六甲州的选民拒绝国阵，完成改朝换代大业。若我们无法做到，将会导致亲者痛、仇者快，国阵更将会坐收渔人之利，更会让民联难以维持现有的议席和赢取更多州议席。
目前，行动党拒绝应酬有关沈同钦在选择国席披上行动党战袍却同时突然以独立人士身份上阵州议席，是与国阵特设以破坏行动党的猜疑和传闻。沈同钦只是不能够以行动党旗帜在马六甲市国会议席上阵的同时，以独立人士身分在哥打拉沙马那区州议席上阵。他不能一脚踏两船– 一脚在行动党的船上，而另一只脚却踏在一只不属于行动党的船上。
林冠英