KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3 (Bernama) — DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke today announced his resignation as Negeri Sembilan DAP chairman following Saturday’s outcome of the 16th Negeri Sembilan State Election, in which he failed to retain the Chennah seat.
Loke, who is also Transport Minister, said the decision was made out of a sense of responsibility and after having held the position for 22 years.
“I feel that the time has come for me to step down as state chairman and leave it to the Negeri Sembilan leadership and the Negeri Sembilan DAP committee to appoint and choose one of the existing committee members to become the new Negeri Sembilan chairman,” he said.
He announced this after chairing the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting at the DAP headquarters here today.
Also present were DAP national chairman Gobind Singh Deo, DAP deputy secretary-general Hannah Yeoh and other members of the party’s top leadership.
Elaborating further, Loke said a Negeri Sembilan DAP committee meeting would be held soon to elect a new state chairman and leadership line-up.
He also stressed that his decision to relinquish the post of Negeri Sembilan DAP chairman was a personal one and was made without pressure from any party.
“This is my personal decision without any pressure from anyone, but I feel it is the right time to hand over the position to another leader,” he said.
At the same time, Loke said he would continue to serve as DAP secretary-general after receiving the unanimous backing of the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) to remain in the post and continue leading the party.
“I would like to express my appreciation for the unanimous support from CEC members in continuing to entrust me with the mandate to remain as secretary-general and lead the party in facing future challenges, particularly the 16th General Election,” he said.
Previously, Loke had said he was prepared to consider stepping down as Negeri Sembilan DAP chairman following the party’s performance in last Saturday’s state election.
The new Negeri Sembilan government was formed through cooperation between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) after they won 18 and seven seats respectively in the state election, while Pakatan Harapan (PH) secured 11 seats, with Loke losing the Chennah seat that he had held for the past three terms.
— BERNAMA