Loke blasts Tian Chua over working with ‘traitors’

Loke blasts Tian Chua over working with ‘traitors’

DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke has taken umbrage with PKR vice-president Tian Chua's call yesterday for Pakatan Harapan coalition to work with whoever is capable of helping them achieve victory in Malacca and restore the people's mandate in 2018.

"This is Tian Chua's personal opinion. DAP's position has been made loud and clear at the Harapan presidential council meeting.

"Harapan must campaign based on our common policies and track record during our 22 months rule in Malacca under the leadership of former chief minister Adly Zahari.

"Harapan must reject traitors. Period," said Loke, who is also Seremban MP, in a brief statement.

This came as tensions flare in Harapan after PKR indicated it was considering fielding four incumbent assemblypersons led by former Malacca chief minister Idris Haron, who were previously with BN and Perikatan Nasional.

The quartet's defection had resulted in the collapse of the BN-led state government earlier this month, which triggered snap polls scheduled for Nov 20.

Two of those assemblypersons, Norhizam Hassan Baktee and Noor Effandi Ahmad, had previously contributed to the fall of the Harapan state government in 2020.

Norhizam had contested the 2018 elections as a DAP representative, and it is understood that any participation by him as part of Harapan would be deeply unpopular with the party's leadership and supporters.

No rush

Tian Chua, who himself has cut a lone figure in PKR following the 2020 Sheraton Move, had called yesterday for the coalition to join with anyone that can give Harapan victory, saying it was a tactic they must consider to win the state.

PKR vice-president Tian Chua

PKR president Anwar Ibrahim however had said there is no rush to offer the four independents a place in Harapan.

Anwar said while the four have expressed an interest to join the coalition, they have not made a formal application.

Hence, he said the coalition will give the four time to reach out.

"We don't want to rush. We will give them time to contact us," he told reporters last night.

Meanwhile, another PKR vice-president has led the chorus of disapproval to the four defectors, saying that the quartet has a "bad record" and one of them had a tendency to be foul-mouthed.

"That's not the candidate we want to put up," said Rafizi Ramli, who has rarely commented on politics since late 2018.