INCUMBENT Skudai assemblyman Tan Hong Pin, whom DAP has dropped as a candidate for the seat in the Johor polls, has claimed to be a victim of a purge resulting from factional fighting in the party’s state chapter.

Tan initially said he was willing to make a sacrifice in the interest of the party but sang a different tune when The Malaysian Insight spoke to him recently.

Without mentioning any names, Tan said that all the problems DAP faced in Johor stemmed from one person.

“The problems in the party came from one person. If in the end, one person is allowed to perform a political purge, then I think the party has a lot to improve,” he said.

Earlier, it was rumoured that five assemblymen who had disagreed with Johor DAP chairman Liew Chin Tong were on the chopping block.

The five were Ee Chin Li (Tangkak), Cheow Chee How (Perling), Yeo Tung Siong (Pekan Nenas), Ng Yak Howe (Bentayan) and Tan.

They are considered aligned with the former state chief Dr Boo Cheng Hau and Liew’s bitter state rival in the Johor chapter.

However, the party has announced that Chin Li will contest in Tangkak again.

The Johor polls are set for March 12. Nomination day is on February 26.

At the time of dissolution, the make-up of the 56-member Johor assembly was: Barisan Nasional (16 seats), Perikatan Nasional (12), and Pakatan Harapan (27).

In 2018, PH unseated BN after winning 36 of the 56 seats, leaving BN with 19 seats and PAS one.

However, following Bersatu’s 2020 break from PH, BN partnered with Bersatu-led PN to rule the state by a one-seat margin.

Tan had told the media a few days ago that he will not defend the seat but will stand for parliament in the next general election.

He now said he found the arrangement unacceptable.

“I joined DAP in 2004, and I believe that I have lived up to the DAP’s expectations and mandate, let it be in the Mengkibol constituency or in Skudai. I have done my best,” he said of his previous seat.

“In the 2013 general election, I was originally supposed to contest in Pekan Nanas, where I worked for eight to 10 years. At that time, the party also held an event to announce that I was the candidate but then (party) secretary-general Lim Guan Eng made no announcement there after a phone call.

“After that, the party asked me to go to Mengkibol, Kluang to contest, and my whole family moved to Kluang to live there because I didn’t want to be an assemblyman during the weekends where I show up occasionally for photos and get it reported,” he said.

He said his wife quit her job so she could move to Kluang.

In the 2018 general election, Tan said that he was instructed at the very last minute to contest in Skudai.

Tan said in the party’s interest, he complied.

Tan said he went to the Skudai constituency to replace his mentor, the controversial Dr Boo Cheng Hau, which had upset the party grassroots.

On February 9, Liew confirmed that Tan would not be contesting in the Johor elections so as to enable the assemblyman to contest in the parliamentary seat.

Time for reflection

On whether he is disappointed in DAP and thinking of quitting the party, Tan said he has been approached by other parties to jump ship but has refused.

Tan said he still believes that DAP is an important force in the Malaysian reform movement.

“This party has not yet reached the stage of abandoning its reforms and ideals. If it really can’t work, it needs to be changed. Why should I change my direction and go the other way?”

“Today you are facing this (faction) problem in DAP, and you will also face the same problem in other political parties. There will be rivers and lakes where there are people, and you will lose because of the factionalisation in DAP today,” he said.

Tan said he will use the enforced break from politics by the party to reflect on his career.

“Even if I get kicked out, I’ll still have a good reputation because I will stay in Skudai to make a living, unlike others who will pack their bags and walk away.

“After the names of the candidates are released, I can hand over the baton and my responsibility is completed, and I believe I have lived up to the party’s trust in me.

Although the state assembly has been dissolved, Tan said his service centre remains open.

Tan said that he will give his blessing to the new Skudai candidate.

“I hope DAP can continue to defend this seat. I worked so hard to get the seats back,” he said.

In the last general election, Tan received 47,359 votes while his opponent, S. Kanan from MIC only received 12,233 votes. – February 13, 2022.