JOHOR BAHRU: Former Johor DAP chairman, Dr Boo Cheng Hau, appears to have taken a swipe at DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, asking party leaders who had been charged with corruption to resign.
Dr Boo, who is also the Skudai state seat incumbent, said a functioning democratic system hinges on a culture accepted by all, which is to be free of corruption.
Although he did not name anyone, Dr Boo’s remarks appeared to be aimed at Lim, who was charged with corruption, together with businesswoman Phang Li Koon, over the changing of a plot of land’s status from agricultural to housing, as well as his purchase of a bungalow lot at below market price.
“I have never been tainted with any scandals. I have never taken bribes. What I did is to provide to society through my time and finances.
“I hold firm to the concept of ABC, which is “asalkan bukan corrupt” (as long as it’s not corrupt). It doesn’t matter which party or side you’re on, a functioning democratic system must be based on a culture accepted by all, and that is to be free of corruption,” he said.
He was speaking to reporters after a meet-the-people event in Taman Impian Emas, here Friday.
Dr Boo, who was removed as Johor DAP chairman and not chosen by DAP to contest the Skudai state seat in the 14th General Election (GE14), said he was not disappointed and will give his full support to the new candidate.
“The question of whether one is given a seat to contest or not is a personal one. I am certain that the future of the country is more important. This isn’t something new to me because even before I became a representative, I already had a service centre on my own initiative.
“I will continue my community service and I will uphold the concept of a corrupt-free government to the very end. At the same time, I admit that I cannot be a team player if the leader of the team is linked to corruption,” he said.
Meanwhile, when met, Dr Boo’s supporters opined that his omission from contesting the Skudai seat was the result of a longstanding grudge between the senior DAP leadership against him.
Dr Boo, they noted, had once asked DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang to step down. They also claimed that there was talk of Dr Boo being pressured by the DAP leadership to leave Skudai, which he has defended for two terms, and contest the Labis parliamentary seat in GE14.
They further claimed Dr Boo had rejected the move, as it was geared towards killing his political career, which led to him not being offered any seats to contest in GE14.