Johor DAP blasts 'baseless accusation' by member who quit to join Bersatu

Johor DAP blasts 'baseless accusation' by member who quit to join Bersatu


Johor DAP vice-chairperson Dr S Ramakrishnan has dismissed the claims of member Sandra Segaran Arumugam who cited dissatisfaction with the leadership of party state leader Liew Chin Tong.

Ramakrishnan (above) claimed that Sandra had since quit the party to join Bersatu, adding that with a snap Johor election being a possibility due to the narrow majority of the state government, he expected that there will be sabotage attempts targeting DAP and its leadership.

"It is unfortunate that Sandra has chosen to make baseless accusations against the party leadership when in fact he made the decision to abandon DAP’s struggle for all regardless of race and religion to join the 'Malay-first' Bersatu.

"We are surprised that Sandra chose to join a party where non-Malay members are deemed second class without equal status and voting power," Ramakrishnan said in a statement.

He also questioned the validity of a joint statement issued by Sandra in the name of a number of Johor DAP branches saying that at least one branch leader - Santhi Vellasamy - confirmed that she did not consent to it.

"She is still a DAP member and chair of DAP Puteri Wangsa Keris branch," Ramakrishnan added.

He claimed that Sandra made up false accusations to support and justify his own defection.

Letter alleging improprieties

Earlier, Sandra was the chief signatory of a letter issued in the name of nine individuals claiming that five DAP branches in the state had quit the party due to a loss of faith in Liew's leadership.

The letter also alleged improprieties in the formation of branches and claimed that a number of branches had been sidelined since the election of the new state committee on May 2, 2021.

Ramakrishnan said that since the election, the party had put in procedures for due diligence for the formation of new branches.

"One of the steps taken is to verify the authenticity of new membership applications to ensure each applicant joins voluntarily and not through abuse of personal data.

"The Johor DAP leadership is committed to protecting the best interest of the party, even if it takes time and effort to vet through all applications, to allow the party to grow steadily and healthily," he added.