GE15: I was warned DAP machinery will be brutal against me, claims Wong Tack

The Star:

GE15: I was warned DAP machinery will be brutal against me, claims Wong Tack





KUANTAN: Wong Tack (pic) claims that DAP leaders had warned him that the party machinery will be brutal against him for contesting as an Independent candidate.

The Bentong candidate in the 15th General Election claimed that when he announced his candidacy, a cyber campaign was immediately launched to portray him as a "spoiler who must be punished to the fullest".


"Since the first day after winning the election in 2018, my team and I have worked hard to serve the people of my hometown, Bentong.

"The struggle to get this mandate took 60 years and we knew we cannot let the people down.

"Two weeks ago I made the decision to regain the mandate from the people for another term. I was suddenly labeled a traitor.

"Many top DAP leaders have contacted me to 'advise' me to withdraw. They warned that the party machinery will be brutal and I will not be able to withstand it," Wong said in a Facebook post.

Wong, who is the incumbent Bentong MP, added that the leaders threatened that the situation would be so terrible that by the end of the election campaign, his reputation would be completely destroyed.

"I will become a person hated by all and I will be remembered as a sinner forever," he said of the threat.

Wong contested for the Bentong parliamentary seat in GE13 and GE14 as a candidate from DAP.

In GE14, he defeated Barisan Nasional's Tan Sri Liow Tiong Lai in their rematch by a margin of 2,032 votes.

On his campaign, Wong said he was proud of the people he met during the past few days.

"They are grateful for the work we have done so far and can feel our sincerity. Their courage and support has touched my heart.

"I will continue to walk this path together with them to uphold dignity and principles," he said.

This GE15, Wong is contesting as an Independent in a five-way match-up with Liow, Pakatan Harapan's Young Syefura Othman, Perikatan Nasional's Datuk Roslan Hassan and another Independent candidate, Mohd Khalil Abdul Hamid.

This was after he was dropped as a candidate by the DAP leadership in favour of Young Syefura.