KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 – “No partisan politics for me,” was the comment given by Sungai Pelek assemblyman Ronnie Liu who was asked on his announcement that he will leave the Democratic Action Party (DAP) that he had served for the last 41 years – effective June 24.
The dissatisfaction has been brewing for a while. In September last year, he had expressed disappointment over DAP’s amendment to its constitution that allows elected representatives who do not toe the party line on fundamental issues to automatically lose their membership.
He had said the decision showed that DAP may no longer be democratic.
Prior to that, in August last year, Ronnie Liu had openly clashed with members of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly during a sitting, where he had been accused of financing “his friends” to raise questions on several issues, namely the Shah Alam stadium repair cost and the tussle with local communities on the Bukit Cerakah forest reserve.
During the sitting, which was telecast live, Selangor Exco member Teng Chang Khim advised the Speaker to use a house regulation to oust Ronnie Liu from the assembly as the latter continued to question the cost of RM787 million for the repair of the Shah Alam stadium.
Ronnie had said that an assemblyman from the ruling party should be able to raise objections and not sit quietly for every decision taken by the state.
–WE