PETALING JAYA,Mar 15: DAP has denied claims of “phantom voters” at a state-level convention in Perak yesterday, saying such allegations were “baseless”.
In a statement, the party’s national organising secretary, Loke Siew Fook, said party polls at all levels were always transparent and non-partisan.
“I regret the commotion at the Perak DAP convention yesterday. Incidents like this should not happen at any party meeting,” he said.
The incident began after a faction led by Kampar MP Thomas Su and Ipoh Barat MP M Kula Segaran alleged that “phantom voters” may have been present and sought an explanation from the party’s election committee.
They claimed the committee was still calling delegates from the branches aligned to incumbent DAP state chairman Nga Kor Ming and Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham to attend, despite registration closing at 10am.
Nga’s faction garnered the majority of votes in the elections.
Loke said the lists of delegates at state conventions were verified by the party’s headquarters and that all delegates could vote so long as the voting process had not ended.
He said the officer in charge of the voting process was appointed by the central leadership and was usually a leader from another state with no stake in the polls.
Loke said it was his responsibility to ensure the integrity of all party elections.
“I urge all members to respect the election process and accept any outcome with an open heart,” he said, adding that DAP members must always adhere to the party’s constitution.
