Calling it quits: (From left) Adrian, Chong and Wong left Sabah DAPafter they had lost confidence in Poon.
KOTA KINABALU: A “Godfather-style” management that favours patronage over inclusiveness is the main reason for the rash of resignations by Sabah DAP leaders recently, says former senator Adrian Lasimbang.
Adrian claimed that he and assemblymen Calvin Chong (Elopura) and Justin Wong (Sri Tanjong) quit on Thursday because of state chairman Datuk Frankie Poon’s ineffectiveness.
“Sabah DAP has lost its direction and ability to fight for issues that are important to the people of Sabah.
“We have lost faith in the leadership under Frankie Poon, who does not show any initiative to unite and strengthen the DAP’s position in Sabah. Instead, he focuses only on the interests of key players and their followers,” he said.
Poon, however, has hit back, claiming that the assemblymen had left the party to pre-empt the Anti-Hopping Bill, which is expected to be tabled in Parliament next month.
He also dared the two assemblymen to do the honourable thing to vacate their seats instead.
“If they are so unhappy, then they should resign as assemblymen,” he said in a statement.
“We are barely two months into the new term of the state committee and they are already unhappy? This term will be for three years,” he said.
“Surely it can’t be the reason. Maybe they had their plans. The proposed Anti-Hopping Bill probably hastened their plans,” he added.
Poon was particularly disappointed with Wong, a first-term assemblyman who won the highest number of votes from the party’s delegates during the state party elections in November but had stayed away from the committee meeting on Nov 21.
“That was very unbecoming of an elected member to the state committee,” he said.
“In Chong’s case, he lost in the state party election. Who is to be blamed for not acquiring such a mandate?”
Adrian had said earlier that DAP needed an overhaul to avoid manipulation of branch movements by certain people, eradicate the “Godfather” mentality and ensure it is more inclusive, especially among the indigenous community.
Adrian, a Kadazandusun who has been working for the party in the Sabah’s interior Pensiangan area, said the existing party membership system was too difficult for rural communities.
“I joined the political movement because I wanted change and reform of the country’s administrative institutions and chose DAP as the basis for this struggle, especially in empowering the Orang Asal community in the interior of Malaysia, especially Sabah.
“However, there is no space to implement this programme with the Sabah DAP leadership. I have decided to devote my resources and time to implement my struggle through NGOs and civil society,” he added.
However, he did not rule out joining an Opposition party in the future.
“We have not decided. We will announce when the time comes. I also don’t rule out Upko (a Pakatan Harapan member),” he said.
Adrian’s sister is Kapayan assemblyman Jannie Lasimbang. She remains with the party.
The Lasimbang family are well-known grassroots social workers in Sabah who have been involved in decades of community-based activities.
The participation of Jannie and Adrian in DAP was seen as a means of strengthening Sabah DAP in its bid to secure support among native voters.
Chong and Wong, meanwhile, have quelled speculation that they would be joining Parti Warisan Sabah.
They said they would remain on the Opposition bench as Independents and had no immediate plans to join any party or to work with the other side of the political divide.
Things have come to a head in Sabah DAP after Chong, Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin, Adrian and Jannie, were voted out of the state DAP committee during the party election last November.
Their ouster was widely seen as Poon consolidating his position within Sabah DAP.
Chan was also replaced by Luyang assemblyman Phoong Jin Zhe as Sabah DAP secretary.
Former Sabah DAP chairman Datuk Jimmy Wong, who is Justin’s father, also quit after the state party election.