Fong Po Kuan is not going to contest in the general election

Fong Po Kuan, dubbed cili padi because of her fiery style, has dropped a bombshell that has rocked the DAP – announcing that she is not going to contest in the general election.

The latest crisis to hit the opposition party is as a result of state party leaders trying to grab her Batu Gajah parliamentary seat.

“This crisis has been brewing for quite some time and it is unfortunate that it has exploded just before the general election,” said the insider, who is sympathetic to Fong.



Fong Po Kuan as appearing in her blog.


Her troubles with the other party leaders started when she defeated Barisan Nasional’s candidate Datuk Ong Ka Chuan in 2004 for the Batu Gajah seat.

“After her victory, Perak DAP leaders labelled Batu Gajah as an opposition stronghold and wanted her to give way to more senior leaders,” said one source.

Announcing her decision not to contest at a press conference at the Batu Gajah DAP office, Fong said her decision was final and suggested that incumbent Pasir Pinji assemblyman Thomas Su Keong Siong contest in her place.

This, according to party insiders, was a move by Fong to prevent state party leaders from nominating DAP Youth chief Nga Kor Ming, who is Pantai Remis assemblyman, to succeed her. It is well known that Fong does not get along with Nga or the state DAP led by his cousin Ngeh Koo Ham, the incumbent Sitiawan assemblyman.

“In fact, Fong and Ngeh are not on talking terms,” said one insider, adding that there were moves to even get Fong to contest in Johor, just because she married Johor DAP organising secretary Tan Chen Choon on Jan 12.

Another insider blamed Ngeh and Nga for freezing her out of the state party, which was why she resigned from the state committee last year.

The 34-year-old Fong, who is still the party’s assistant publicity secretary and Wanita DAP national organising secretary, refused to take many questions.

“The development of internal party events in the Perak DAP over the last few years and currently, has made it impossible for me to continue serving effectively and efficiently and wholeheartedly as a party leader and an elected representative,” she said.

She said it was a tough decision for her because the DAP had become her “second family” and the people of Batu Gajah had become special to her over the last eight years.

Fong tried to keep her emotions in check throughout the press conference but her voice broke as she read out her statement, especially when she described the DAP as her second family.

“Under such circumstances, and in the best interest of all concerned, I have arrived at this unavoidable and difficult decision. My decision is final.”

She said she had conveyed her decision to DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, who is also a member of the DAP National Committee on Candidate Selection, and written a letter to party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng about the matter.

Fong, who holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the International Islamic University, first came into national prominence when she won the Batu Gajah seat in the 1999 general election with a majority of 2,071 votes. At 26 years of age, she was the youngest MP then.

The above report was filed by The Star.

DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang made the following comments:

"Very tired but no thought of sleep until I blog about Fong Po Kuan. Not just because I have been made the villain causing Po Kuan’s announcement that she would not contest in the 12th general election but also because of her qualities.

At about 2.30 p.m., I received calls asking why I had forced Po Kuan to retire from politics, as AIFM (Chinese) received by motorists had carried news flash that Po Kuan had announced her resignation from the DAP because of her unhappiness with me in forcing her to contest in another constituency.

I never did such a thing and Po Kuan never resigned from the party – but the damage was done, as first impressions (however false) are most lasting, that I had forced Po Kuan to resign from the DAP because I was forcing her to contest in another constituency apart from Batu Gajah. Talking about “eating dead cat”!



DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang felt that he had been made to "eating dead cat"
about Fong's announcement of not contesting in the coming
general election.



The party never asked Po Kuan to change constituencies, as all party leaders had expected and fully supported her to contest for the third time in the Batu Gajah parliamentary seat.

I will not be speaking the truth if I say that Po Kuan’s announcement yesterday had come as a complete surprise to me, although it was a shock to the overwhelming majority of DAP leaders, members and supporters.

I had tried to head off Po Kuan from making such a decision because she is a great asset to the party, Malaysian Parliament and the cause for justice, freedom and democracy but I failed. For this I take full responsibility.

I had skimmed through both the avalanche of comments on her blog and my blog. Po Kuan should know that she is looked up as a beacon of hope for Malaysians in the hard and grueling battle for justice, democracy and a Bangsa Malaysia.

I fully associate with the outpouring of public appeals to Po Kuan to reconsider and rejoin the DAP frontline in the great electoral battle looming before the nation by again standing for the parliamentary seat of Batu Gajah – as DAP, the people and nation need her to create history to deny the Barisan Nasional its unbroken two-thirds parliamentary majority on March 8, 2008 to usher in a new democracy and a new Malaysian politics."



Althought Fong might not be happy with the DAP State leaders, she still asks the people to support DAP, seems to put party above self. In her blog, she said,"The power is now returned to the people. Let us deny Barisan Nasional 2/3 majority for a better Malaysia for all Malaysians. Please vote for DAP!"

Fong Po Kuan, the cili padi, has really dropped a bombshell that has affected the DAP's image, especially before the nomination day. What will happen then? I think more stories to come.