MELAKA – DAP Melaka has made it clear that it will not be swayed by the 'provocations' from Umno Youth Chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, who recently challenged the party to withdraw from the Melaka Unity Government.
Melaka DAP chairman Khoo Poay Tiong said the party’s position in the state would be determined by DAP itself, not by external parties.
“As I said earlier, who are you? We understand very well why Dr Akmal made such remarks. From the beginning of the formation of the Unity Government, this Jasin youth has wanted to bring the government down.
“If we look at what he said yesterday at their special convention, he wants to revive Muafakat Nasional. So it is clear that from the very start of the Unity Government, he has been intent on toppling it,” he told reporters after the opening of the Melaka DAP Convention at LTP Restaurant here on Sunday.
The convention was officiated by DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke.
Khoo said as a responsible political party, DAP would not play along with Dr Akmal’s narrative and stressed that decisions on the party’s direction would be made internally.
“As I explained earlier, DAP’s representation in the Melaka state executive council (Exco) is based on the spirit of the Unity Government.
“When Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh took his oath of office, he demonstrated that spirit of unity by inviting DAP to have a representative in the state Exco.
“On that basis, we accepted his invitation to join the state government. As I said, who is Dr Akmal to decide DAP’s position? Let DAP decide for itself,” he said.
Commenting on the future direction of DAP Melaka, Khoo said it would be determined through the party’s established processes.
“That is indeed Dr Akmal’s intention. We will not be drawn into it. Why should we fall for provocation? What matters is that DAP’s position will be decided by DAP itself.
“We are not power-hungry, nor are we obsessed with positions. What matters most is the impact of any decision – on the state, on the people and on the party. That is our priority. We will not be dragged into his political games,” he said.
On Saturday, Dr Akmal challenged DAP to resign from the Melaka state government, noting that the party is part of the Barisan Nasional (BN)-led administration.
He made the remarks while speaking at the Umno Youth Special Convention at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTC KL).
Following that, Melaka Entrepreneur Development, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs Exco Allex Seah of DAP said in a Facebook post on the same day that he was prepared to step down should the Melaka Unity Government be dissolved.
“We will wait. Discussions are ongoing and we will gather views and feedback from the grassroots and branch delegates to be brought to the Central Executive Committee (CEC) for deliberation,” Khoo added.