LDP blasts Gerakan Au for Greed

SANDAKAN: The Labeling of Liberal Democraric party (LDP) as termites by Elopura assemblyman Au Kam Wah Is uncalled for, said Albert Kok, the political secretary to Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk VK Liew.

"The statement by Au, who ditched SAPP in 2008 and joined Gerakan later, alleging LDP to clamour for positions could not be more true about himself and the party he just joined.


It is widely known that he together with Raymond Tan abandoned SAPP so that they both can keep their positions in the government Au should therefore look at himself in the mirror and his own 'new party' before he talked about others,” Kok said.

He said despite losing in the last election in 2008 and Gerakan almost wiped out, Koh Tsu Koon made himself available as a senator and accepted the offer to be a federal minister, Even his previous predecessor, Tun Lim Keng Yaik, was reported to have advised Koh against accepting but he could not care less and instead accepted the position with open arms.

"As one of the more senior members in BN, when the State Government offer to retain Peter Pang, who had quit LDP to join Gerakan, Koh should be wise enough not to accept the offer as there was already another new Gerakan member namely Raymond Tan in the State Cabinet.

"However, knowing it would draw the ire and condemnation of the people in Sabah, and knowing that Gerakan has not contested in Sabah in the last general election, Koh gladly accepted it. Is this not reflection of their own greed to clamour for governnent’s positions?" Kok said in a statement yesterday.

He added that Peter Pang had only been in Gerakan for less than two days but he continued to be retained as Minister of Youth and Sport under Gerakan.

Au is relatively a more 'senior' member in Gerakan than Peter Pang, an assemblyman for Elopura earlier before even Peter Pang knew what politics was and more experienced then Peter Pang starting from his time in SAPP, he said.

"It is odd that he was not preferred by his new boss to be in the recent cabinet reshuffle. Was it because he was offered to continue to hold the positions of chairman in other government agencies in Sabah?

"If Au is a man of principle at all and subscribe to the BN's principle, he should be the first one to tell his new found party leader that it was against BN s principle to accept Peter Pang who quit LDP to join another BN component party namely Gerakan,” he said.

But Au kept quiet and gladly welcomed Peter Pang, unashamedly, because by doing so he knows Gerakan has now another cabinet position in the government. That speaks volume of Au’s personality, said Kok.

He said before criticising others, Au should put his new house in order first.

"Au should tell his new found leader to be changed first and take responsibility for the losses suffered by his new party in the last election.

"Ong Ka Ting, despite having won his parliamentary seat in 2008, took responsibility for the losses MCA suffered in the election. Ong resigned as MCA president then and Ong Tee Keat took over before being taken over by Chua Soi Lek.

"It shows that at least Ong Ka Ting has principle and does not clamour for government position unlike some.

"We have seen MCA openly asking for the change of leadership in Sarawak following the recent election there. In fact many others have indicated the same sentiment.

"Does it mean that the BN government in Sarawak must also issue a show cause letter to all those who asked for the CM of Sarawak to go?

“In this regard, Au Kam Wah should tell his liaison chief in Sabah, Gordon Leong, to understand politics better and read what had happened,” he said.

Kok said if indeed there were any change of leadership required, Au should suggest changes in Gerakan’s central leadership and that include those in Sabah.

Source: BP