SEREMBAN: DAP must hold a national level congress and not a special congress before the upcoming 14th general elections to show that the party is transparent, credible, sincere and has nothing to hide.
Former DAP Bukit Emas Seremban secretary S. Vijaiyan Sivanathan said by holding a national congress, party delegates will be able to raise any issues with the Central Executive Committee (CEC) such as on party's financial position as well as the looming re-election of the CEC.
"Before holding the re-election, DAP must hold the national congress so that the party members can interact with the CEC. A special congress will not be open to all party members except for the CEC and this implies to the grassroots that it has something to hide.
"Why the cat and mouse game? It is time that the CEC show to its members that it is a transparent party and adhere to the party constitution," Vijaiyan told reporters here earlier today.
In 2013, the Registrar of Societies' (Ros) had ordered a re-election of DAP’s CEC after it found irregularities and manipulation of votes by the party in its initial election in December 2012.
After the re-election at the time, some party members had claimed that they were denied the right to attend the party congress as delegates.
In June this year, RoS director-general Datuk Mohammad Razin Abdullah instructed DAP to hold a re-election of the party’s CEC at its congress, saying that it is necessary as the election of CEC members and key positions via a re-election on Sept 29, 2013 was deemed unlawful.
RoS said last month, the re-election will be based on the 2012 delagates list. DAP has announced that it will hold a special congress on November 12 and not a national congress.
Vijaiyan also questioned why DAP has still not made public the full list of 2,576 party members who voted in the party's CEC election in 2012.
"Although it has been two months since the request was made, DAP has still not published in newspapers of all languages to show to the people that the party is transparent, credible and has got nothing to hide."
Vijaiyan said the names of the delegates who were eligible to vote in 2012 as well as their identification card numbers, branches and states should also be made available online.
"We the former members, current delegates are sick and tired with the way DAP has been treating its members.
"Why is the DAP very evasive and not transparent over the re-election. Do not break party rules as many of the DAP members are also members or parliament voted by the people.