Press Statement By DAP Secretary-General And MP For Bagan Lim Guan Eng In Kuala Lumpur On 14.2.2017.
I wish to publicly apologise to the party and the people for my mistake in choosing to trust in the loyalty of the Gang Of Four to the DAP, especially after I was cheated by Sim Tong Him’s pledge that “he lived as DAP and would die as a DAP man”. The Gang of Four comprising Kota Melaka MP Sim Tong Him, Duyong assemblyperson Goh Leong San, Bachang assemblyperson Lim Jak Wong and Kesidang assemblyperson Chin Choong Seong, had given BN a gift in the next general elections by unexpectedly resigning from the DAP.
Sim had repeatedly pledged his undying loyalty to the DAP. Even during his betrayal of the party in the 2013 general elections when Sim stood as an independent in the Kota Laksamana state seat against the DAP official candidate, Sim had famously said that “he lived as DAP and would die as a DAP man, this fact is immutable”. Clearly it is not the party that has changed, but it is Sim that has changed by breaking his solemn pledge made publicly in 2013.
On the day he left DAP, Sim even said that he felt no heartache in leaving the party he had been a member for 35 years. I was wrong to believe that Sim would remain steadfast and loyal to the DAP despite deep differences with CEC leaders. This was the reason why the Gang of Four were given seats to contest in the 2013 general elections.
Sim now claim he is still loyal to the party but only disloyal to the party leadership. If Sim is loyal to the DAP, he should remain in the party to campaign and convince DAP members to remove the party leadership he did not like. Or has Sim lost confidence in getting support from DAP members after his faction’s defeat in the DAP Melaka state elections in 2015?
Sim defies logic by insisting that he is still loyal to the DAP after betraying the party. This suspension of reality and reason is no different from BN insisting that there is no corruption in the 1MDB RM52 billion scandal, the USD 1 billion donation scandals and FELDA’s RM 4.3 billion missing funds scandal. What is worrying is that just as there are some who do not believe that BN is corrupt, there are also some, including within the party, who believe that the Gang of Four is still loyal to the DAP by leaving the party.
For this reason party leaders and members should not underestimate the threat posed by the outrageous and ridiculous claims made by Sim or the Gang of Four that they are still loyal to the party. Neither should party leaders and members underestimate the ability by BN leaders to carry out their predictions of more of such acts of “betrayals”.
So far, the Gang of Four had been unable to provide any solid rationale for leaving the party. This is an act of personal retaliation for their defeat in the Melaka state party elections in 2015 and subsequent suspension for one year for focusing their attacks, not on BN but on the DAP. The Gang of Four appears confused as to what policy differences with the party leadership they are unhappy about, especially when they have never communicated them to top CEC leaders.
Instead it is the BN that has provided the rationale for their resigning, citing co-operation between Lim Kit Siang and Tun Dr Mahathir, as well as the falsehood of DAP still working together with PAS. These issues will be discussed at the party meeting with DAP Melaka members and leaders tonight.
Once again I apologise for believing in Sim Tong Him and the Gang of Four’s loyalty to the party, a mistake which caused the party to still nominate them as winning candidates in the last general elections and caused DAP to lose one MP and 3 ADUN seats.
LIM GUAN ENG
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民主行动党秘书长峇眼区国会议员林冠英于2017年2月14日在吉隆坡发表的文告
我仅此向党及人民道歉，因为我选择错信四人帮对民主行动党的忠诚，特别是被沈同钦的“他生是行动党人，死是行动党鬼”誓言所骗，我所寄以的信任显然所托非人。
我仅此向党及人民道歉，因为我选择错信四人帮对民主行动党的忠诚，特别是被沈同钦的“他生是行动党人，死是行动党鬼”誓言所骗。以马六甲市国会议员沈同钦、鲁容州议员吴良山、峇章州议员林敬贤及葛西浪州议员陈仲祥组成的四人帮毫无预警的退出行动党，无疑为国阵在即将来临的大选献上一份大礼。
沈同钦过往多次信誓旦旦称对行动党的忠诚至死不渝，即便他在2013年大选背叛行动党以独立候选人身份上阵哥打拉沙马那州议席与行动党正式候选人打对台的时候，他仍作出“他生是行动当人，死是行动党鬼，这是无法改变的事实”的著名言论。 显然，党并没有变质，反而是沈同钦已经变质，因为他自己违背了他在2013年所公开作出的郑重誓言。
当沈同钦离开行动党那天，他甚至说他对于要离开已经加入35年之久的行动党毫无一丝心痛。我以为沈同钦即便与中委会众领袖有深厚的歧见，但至少仍能对行动党坚贞不渝及忠诚，但我错了。2013年大选，四人帮能得以获得上阵也是基于这层信任。
沈同钦如今声称他仍终于党只是不效忠党领导层。若沈同钦是忠于行动党，他就更应该留在行动党推动及说服行动党党员撤换他所不喜欢的领导层。难道沈同钦在其派系于2015年马六甲行动党州选落败后，已经对获得行动党党员支持失去了信心吗？
沈同钦在背叛党之后，仍坚称他忠于行动党，这完全不合逻辑。这是完全跟现实与逻辑脱钩的说法，无异于国阵坚称1MDB的520亿令吉亿丑闻、10亿美元捐献丑闻及联邦发展局43亿令吉消失丑闻并不是贪污的说法一样。就跟仍有一些人不信国阵贪污一样，值得忧虑的是仍有一些人包括党内人士相信四人帮退出行动党后仍忠于行动党。
沈同钦等四人帮宣称对党仍是一片赤胆忠心，党领袖及党员们委实不应低估他们荒唐言论所带来的威胁。同样的，党领袖及党员们亦不可轻视国阵预测会有更多“背叛者”出现的可能性。
四人帮迄今无法提出一个可信服人的理由来说明为何离开这个党。他们在2015年马六甲党选中失利，接着被冻结党籍一年，随后他们把枪口对准行动党而非国阵来炮火全开，这显然是个己报复的行为。四人帮的辞职师出无名，他们甚至未曾和中央高层领袖沟通。
事实上，反而是国阵炒作林吉祥与敦马的合作，诬蔑行动党至今还在和伊党合作，让他们师出有名找到理由退党。凡此种种，我们今晚都会在马六甲和当地的党领袖与党员详谈。
我再次道歉，因为错信沈同钦等四人帮对行动党的忠诚，让党提名他们参与上届的全国大选，并赢得选举。如今，这也让民主行动党一举失去了一个国会及三个州议席。
林冠英