MY beloved DAP leaders and comrades,
I am writing this letter with an unprecedented heavy heart.
First and foremost I would like to wish Lim Kit Siang a swift recovery from the COVID-19 infection. I believe he will recover well due to his unwavering spirit and physique.
It is undeniable that Kit Siang’s contribution to DAP and Malaysian democracy is enormous. Nonetheless, as Rome could not have been built in a single day and we have to remember many other comrades’ sweat and tears, too, had helped build DAP today.
We too cannot let the party’s credibility crumble to dust due to mistakes made by a few prominent leaders. I humbly believe DAP has to strive for being a world-class political party before we can realise a world-class Malaysia.
Allow my humble opinion that any leaders facing corruption and criminal charges should not continue to hold any public offices until his good self’s court charges are cleared by the court of law.
Any leader bogged by corruption charges or any scandals should take the initiative to resign from any public offices to avoid sending a wrong signal on party values to the general public and affecting party’s standings in the next General Elections.
They should step down for their love for the party than using the rhetoric of “political persecution” to gain public sympathy.
Or else, would voters’ have any confidence towards the party’s consistency in our stands and principles?
If DAP is being led by leaders with criminal charges in court, it is hard to maintain the party’s principles and core values, and hence adversely affect the party’s image in the public eye.
I strongly opine that using the rhetoric of “political persecution” as a defence indirectly exerts undue pressure on the judiciary system, and hence it is against our party’s long-term stand in upholding judiciary independence.
In my humble opinion, our party mentor should advise our party’s national chairman to relinquish his post to avoid putting the party values on trial than his own personal issues.
I believe a decisive resignation from his post is actually good for national chairman’s and the party’s image.
DAP cannot condone UMNO ways of handling issues like this while we strive to be a world-class political party for a world-class Malaysia.
It is unfortunate that I opine that the national chairman has to face his corruption charges in his own capacity in order to maintain his good self’s standings as a world-class leader.
In Singapore, both the opposition Workers’ Party and the ruling PAP would take a consistent stand and action on party leaders or members facing corruption charges or being bogged down by scandals – one has to either quit the party or be expelled.
This is to draw a clear line between a leader’s individual responsibility on his self-actions and the party’s actual principles and stands on issues.
This is more of what a world-class political party should be managed. DAP and its national chairman should abide by the world-class leaders’ standards and temporarily relinquish his post and face his corruption charges in court without involving the party.
This would maintain the party’s credibility and public confidence.
In my humble opinion, besides the fact that the national chairman should resign from his post, the deputy national chairman should recuse himself from acting as the national chairman’s counsel in court to avoid any conflict of interest, especially in need to replace the national chair.
Or else, it would look as if the whole DAP is on trial to the general public than the national chair’s good self when the accused is the national chair and yet the deputy chair is his counsel.
We must remember that it is the national chair individually who is being charged for corruption without involving the whole party.
If this particular conflict of interest is not handled in accordance with the party’s principle of clean and good governance, we would damage our party’s effort to be a world-class party and hence fail to achieve a world-class Malaysia.
In accordance with the principles of law, the national chair is innocent until proven otherwise in court.
If he is proven innocent in court, he shall be welcome back to recover his party post. Nonetheless, a clear and world-class party position would help the party win more public credibility and confidence.
I believe that the national chair is a capable leader and would be able to make a comeback anytime if he is proven innocent in court.
The best example of capable leadership would be like Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who had resigned as prime minister in 2003 but yet made a comeback in 2018 at the age of 93.
I humbly opine that the national chair should step down and let the newly-elected Central Executive Committee (CEC) be free of any baggage in order to lead the party forward, regain public confidence and face the upcoming GE15 with the best standings.
I wish all party leaders and members with good health and happiness in order to continue the quest for truth and social justice. – March 23, 2022
Dr Boo Cheng Hau is the former Johor DAP chief and is currently a Johor state DAP committee member.
The views expressed are solely of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
