GEORGE TOWN – Penang DAP chief Steven Sim has called for calm in the party following a heckling incident involving himself, where he was allegedly berated by an aide of party chairman Lim Guan Eng at a party event last week.
Yesterday, reports said that the aide, identified as Tan Khong Chong, hurled a vulgar insult at Sim and called him a traitor. Witnesses reportedly said the incident occurred when Sim was greeting supporters at a dinner event on Saturday that honoured party stalwart Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang.
The man approached Sim and berated him for nearly 10 seconds, also accusing him of attempting to undermine Guan Eng.
Taking to Facebook, Sim said that he had known Tan for a long time as a loyal party member. He also said that when he was appointed to help Penang DAP, he made party unity a basis for the state chapter to provide better service to the people of Penang.
“Therefore, I do not want issues that do not benefit the party in terms of its unity to prolong,” said the DAP leader, who is also the Bukit Mertajam MP and the Human Resources Minister.
“I would like to stress again: it was just a storm in a teacup, let us move on and move forward, together and stronger. Jalan teruih (go forth)!”
Sim also said that he was not bothered by the kerfuffle when asked by reporters about it, as what was more important was ensuring that the ceremony that honoured Kit Siang went on smoothly with a vibrant tone.
His statement came amidst calls by grassroots leaders for disciplinary actions to be taken against Tan, as they emphasised that there should be zero tolerance for a culture of thuggery within the party.
In separate statements, Batu Kawan DAP Youth chief Liinesh Selluandan and Happy Valley DAP division chief R. Ganeson said the conduct of Tan was unprofessional and damaging to the party’s image.
Liinesh, who is also DAP Youth vice-chairman, demanded that stern, swift disciplinary actions be taken against Tan for breaching party ethics by allegedly berating Sim. He also said that party members would not condone any form of violence, insults, or public attacks against the Penang DAP chairman that could tarnish his credibility.
“We call upon all party members to be respectful, disciplined, and ethical in their actions, especially towards state leadership who have sacrificed a lot for the party and the people,” Liinesh emphasised.
Meanwhile, Ganeson said that Tan’s alleged act of hurling vulgarities in Hokkien language towards Sim was not only disrespectful toward state leadership but also to party members who have elected new leadership to steer Penang DAP.
“It also reflects a culture of ‘thuggery politics’ that appears to be rampant within DAP. We would like to stress that DAP would not allow anyone to foster a toxic political culture based on revenge, intimidation, and insults.
“We would like to publicly ask those who were involved in this incident: Is this the political culture you want to inherit in DAP? Is this how we celebrate internal democratic processes?” asked Ganeson in a joint statement, which he said represents the views of several Indian division leaders within the party when contacted by Scoop.
The heckling incident occurred at a time when the party is gearing up for the national Central Executive Committee (CEC) elections on March 16. – February 17, 2025