PAKATAN Harapan has been forced to change the venue of its fundraising dinner in Cameron Highlands tomorrow after a village committee that manages the venue cancelled the booking.

The dinner, organised by DAP, will now be held at another venue at Kampung Raja, said PH election director Wong Kah Woh.

Wong said they had booked a multipurpose hall in Tringkap last week and had sold tickets for 55 tables. 

“But yesterday, we got word from the management committee of the village that we can’t use the hall.

“The event will be attended by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran and other party leaders,” he told reporters at Tanah Rata today.

The hall in Kampung Raja can fit 100 tables. DAP is charging RM600 per table to raise funds for their by-election campaign.

Tanah Rata assemblyman Chong Yoke Keong said he was informed by the village chief in Tringkap yesterday that DAP could not rent the hall for the dinner.

“When we asked why, he said that the hall cannot be used for political purposes.

“I think that this is not a valid reason. The village chief also said that they had received pressure from their superiors.

“This is ridiculous reason and this is not the first time DAP is having activities here.” 

He said that in 2013 they hosted a mooncake festival at the Tringkap hall when DAP was in opposition, and there was no restrictions.

“This hall is not privately owned and belongs to the people.

“The people were the ones who had collected funds to build the hall. DAP had also contributed funds for the hall,” he said. 

PH’s candidate for Cameron Highlands, M. Manogaran was not happy with the decision of the Tringkap village committee to cancel the booking.

He said they had faced such problems when they were in the opposition but was surprised to be facing the same problem now when PH was ruling at the federal level. 

“We don’t want things like this happening in the New Malaysia. Everyone should be able to use the halls.” – January 18, 2019.