Loke blames Chennah defeat on smear campaign
Yesterday
Minderjeet Kaur
The DAP secretary-general says he was the target of slander claiming he wants to wrest power from the Malay establishment by becoming Negeri Sembilan MB
DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook said the race for Chennah was his toughest yet in his 22 years of contesting in elections.
KUALA LUMPUR: DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook has blamed his defeat in the Negeri Sembilan state election on a smear campaign orchestrated by his rivals.
At a press conference at DAP’s headquarters here tonight, the former three-term Chennah assemblyman said the race for the mixed seat was the toughest he has faced in his 22 years of contesting in elections.
“I have contested in multiple elections. I have even won all of my previous elections. But this particular campaign was very tough because of the personal attacks against me.
“There were a lot of slander and unfounded allegations, claiming I wanted to wrest power from the Malay establishment, that I wanted to be menteri besar, that I wanted to control the entire state government.
“These are lies that led to resentment among the Malay community,” he said.
Loke said he personally encountered Malay voters who asked him if it was true he wanted to become menteri besar, saying this showed the impact of the smear campaign against him.
Loke lost Chennah to MCA’s Siow Kong Choon by 688 votes on Saturday, preventing the DAP supremo from securing a fourth consecutive term as its assemblyman.
Asked if he regretted seeking a fourth term as Chennah assemblyman, Loke said he had no regrets.
He believed that as a leader and a politician, he showed courage in contesting the seat. “Even though it was a tough seat, we took up the challenge,” he said.
Only certain leaders can contest both state and parliamentary seats
Asked whether he agreed that DAP leaders should no longer hold both parliamentary and state seats simultaneously, Loke said the party had long sought to minimise the practice.
Nonetheless, he said, this was still allowed for strategic reasons.
“We try to minimise that but in the past, due to our electoral strategy, some leaders contested (both parliamentary and state seats),” he said.
He said the party had debated this for years and DAP’s decision was to minimise such instances.
Before the Negeri Sembilan election, Loke held the Seremban parliamentary seat and Chennah state seat.
Other leaders currently holding two seats include DAP adviser Lim Guan Eng, deputy chairman Nga Kor Ming, vice-chairman Chong Chieng Jen, and CEC member Chow Kon Yeow.
At a press conference at DAP’s headquarters here tonight, the former three-term Chennah assemblyman said the race for the mixed seat was the toughest he has faced in his 22 years of contesting in elections.
“I have contested in multiple elections. I have even won all of my previous elections. But this particular campaign was very tough because of the personal attacks against me.
“There were a lot of slander and unfounded allegations, claiming I wanted to wrest power from the Malay establishment, that I wanted to be menteri besar, that I wanted to control the entire state government.
“These are lies that led to resentment among the Malay community,” he said.
Loke said he personally encountered Malay voters who asked him if it was true he wanted to become menteri besar, saying this showed the impact of the smear campaign against him.
Loke lost Chennah to MCA’s Siow Kong Choon by 688 votes on Saturday, preventing the DAP supremo from securing a fourth consecutive term as its assemblyman.
Asked if he regretted seeking a fourth term as Chennah assemblyman, Loke said he had no regrets.
He believed that as a leader and a politician, he showed courage in contesting the seat. “Even though it was a tough seat, we took up the challenge,” he said.
Only certain leaders can contest both state and parliamentary seats
Asked whether he agreed that DAP leaders should no longer hold both parliamentary and state seats simultaneously, Loke said the party had long sought to minimise the practice.
Nonetheless, he said, this was still allowed for strategic reasons.
“We try to minimise that but in the past, due to our electoral strategy, some leaders contested (both parliamentary and state seats),” he said.
He said the party had debated this for years and DAP’s decision was to minimise such instances.
Before the Negeri Sembilan election, Loke held the Seremban parliamentary seat and Chennah state seat.
Other leaders currently holding two seats include DAP adviser Lim Guan Eng, deputy chairman Nga Kor Ming, vice-chairman Chong Chieng Jen, and CEC member Chow Kon Yeow.
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