by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in PJ on Friday, 29.4.1994:
Liong Sik should ask Chau Tet in to resign as Api-Api Assemblyman and seek re-election to prove that the voters of Api-Api approve of his joining MCA
The MCA seems to have succeeded at last after four years in poaching a Sabah Assemblyman, this time from one of the Sabah Barisan Nasional component parties – the LDP.
When the Sabah State Assembly meets on Tuesday, MCA would have a Sabah State Assemblyman for the first time, not honourably through the front-door but dishonourably through the backdoor.
In announcing his decision yesterday to join the MCA, former Sabah Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Chau Tet On is establishing quite a political record, not only in Sabah but also in Malaysia – party-hopping once a month!
Chau Tet Onn said his supporters wanted him to jump from LDP to MCA. Presumably, his supporters had also wanted him to jump from PBS to LDP last month.
Having jumped two parties in two months, there is no point in addressing issues of honour to Chau Tet Onn.
However, the MCA, claiming to be the third largest Chinese political party in the world with 600,000 members, should think about party honour!
MCA President, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik should ask Chau Tet On to resign as Api-Api Assemblyman seek re-election to prove that the voters of Api-Api approve of his joining MCA.
It should be better for a political party not to have any simple Assemblyman and keep its political honour and integrity intact, than to have an Assemblyman which will make its political honour, morality and integrity the laughing stock of the people.
If Chau Tet On is right that his supporters want him to jump from PBS to LDP, and now jump from LDP to MCA, he should be glad to have an opportunity to redeem his honour by seeking a new mandate from the voters of Api-Api by resigning and getting re-elected through a by-election under the MCA platform.
May be Chau Tet Onn himself has grave doubts that he could win in a by-election in Api-Api with him standing as a MCA candidate!
Should the MCA have such grave doubts? With 600,000 membership, and the full backing of the ‘supporters’ of Chau Tet On in Api-Api constituency, the MCA leadership should have no fears about having a by-election for Chau Tet Onn and MCA to honourably take their place in the Sabah State Assembly!
If the MCA leadership has grave doubts and dare not ask Chau Tet On to honourably carry the MCA flag into the Sabah State Assembly through a new mandate by the voters of Api-Api in a by-election, then the MCA leaders know that their successful ‘poaching’ of Chau Tet Onn is not honourable at all and another blot in Sabah politics.