FORMER DAP publicity secretary Tony Pua will not be fielded as a candidate in the upcoming state election (PRN), said DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook.
Loke added that Pua himself had vacated his parliamentary seat during the 15th General Election.
“Therefore, the question of him contesting does not arise. I confirm that Pua will not be contesting in the upcoming PRN,” he said during a press conference after officiating the National Sailor Carnival 2023.
Pua stirred controversy between Pakaran Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) last week when he labelled BN, which is now part of the PH-led unity government as a corrupt coalition.
This did not go down well with many UMNO leaders who publicly urged the DAP not to pick Pua as a candidate in the upcoming state polls.
Yesterday (June 24), UMNO issued an “ultimatum” to DAP to leave senior member Pua off its list of candidates. It said that was necessary if DAP wished for the unity government to continue.
UMNO secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki then Pua had embarrassed himself with his attack against BN.
“(It seems that) he (Pua) is still in dreamland that has forgotten that the government today is not PH but a cooperation among BN, PH, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Parti Warisan; there are 19 political parties,” he noted.
Pua also earned the ire of Loke over his comments on UMNO.
Loke said yesterday that anyone in DAP who cannot keep their mouth shut on this matter is not welcome at all to speak on the DAP stage. – June 25, 2023
Main photo credit: The Star
