Ngeh reportedly said he was surprised by Sivanesan’s defeat, before offering him a spot on the committee. — file pic
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 — Torn by his allegiance to both M. Kulasegaran and the Ngeh-Nga cousins, former Perak DAP vice-chairman A. Sivanesan is now teetering on whether to accept the party’s invitation to reappoint him to the post.
Both Sivanesan and Kulasegaran, the former state deputy chairman, were defeated during yesterday’s party polls but were co-opted by the newly-elected team led by the Ngeh-Nga cousins to fill up the party’s two vice-chairman posts.
Kulasegaran is still undecided on whether to accept the appointment, pointing out today that he felt “pained” by the polls, which saw all but one of his loyalists wiped out from the party’s state leadership.
He is scheduled to make his decision within the next two days.
Now Sivanesan, known to be both a close friend to Kulasegaran and an ally to the Ngeh-Nga team, also claimed he was torn in his decision on whether to accept the appointment.
“I’ve got good rapport with both sides,” he explained to The Malaysian Insider this afternoon.
The Sungkai assemblyman, who was formerly a state executive councillor in the Perak Pakatan Rakyat government with both cousins, Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham and Nga Kor Ming, pointed out that his close relationship with both warring factions was proven in how his name had appeared in both teams’ lists prior to yesterday’s polls.
He added that when Kulasegaran’s spat with the Ngeh-Nga cousins flared up last month, he had chosen to remain neutral, believing that the formation of a united team was of utmost importance in the party’s struggles.
“My name appeared on both their lists —Nga’s and Kula’s —but I never opened my mouth at any material time to say that I am with whichever team. I wanted a united team,” he said.
During yesterday’s convention, Sivanesan explained that he had been “relieved” when he too had failed to make the cut into the state committee, along with Kulasegaran.
“I told myself yesterday that it is either Kula must win or both Kula and I must win but if he loses, I must lose. You know why? Because I know that if Kula loses and I win, I would likely be offered the deputy chairman’s post, being the most senior person on the team, and I can read into what would likely happen,” he said.
If he had been appointed deputy chairman, Sivanesan explained, he would have been caught in position “too difficult to accept”.
“Because Kula is my friend, and a party man, he is a senior vice-chairman in the national leadership, and I was brought back into the party by him.
“If I were to be in that spot, the whole Indian community will curse me. I am not that kind of guy. So when I lost, I was happy because I was not in that difficult position,” he said.
Sivanesan explained that he had been a party loyalist since 1978 and had joined officially as a member in 1981.
“I assisted (DAP advisor) Lim Kit Siang during the 1978 polls, and then P. Patto brought me into the party in 1981. In 1999, I was the Selangor DAP assistant secretary but due to certain differences of opinion, I did not get a seat in that election.
“I was then referred to an inquiry and was suspended for two years. In 2003, it was Kula who brought me back into the party and I came to Sungkai. I contested in 2004 and lost and then in 2008, I won. I worked with Ngeh and Nga in the state government and I am close to them, especially to Nga who calls me ‘brother’.
“At the same time, I am still and always a close friend to Kula,” he said.
After the polls results were announced yesterday evening, Ngeh and Nga were reappointed as party chairman and secretary respectively while Tronoh assemblyman and former Perak Speaker V. Sivakumar was made deputy chairman.
The new team of 15 — 14 of which were said to be Ngeh-Nga loyalists — then agreed to co-opt five others into their team, including Kulasegaran and Sivanesan, the incumbent vice-chairman, and lawyer Leong Cheok Keng, former city councillor Cheah Pou Hian and Perak DAP Socialist Youth vice-chairman Alvin Lim Kean Siong.
Sivanesan explained that he had received text messages from both Nga and Ngeh, informing him of his appointment.
“Nga said — ‘brother, I have proposed your name’. Then I got a long SMS from Ngeh saying that he was surprised that I lost but that they had co-opted me and he asked me to come and give my co-operation.
“I would like to state here that my co-operation is 100 per cent but there was a democratic process that took place and I lost. I accept the defeat with an honest heart,” he said.
Sivanesan added that another reason to why he was still unsure on whether to accept the invitation was due to the fact that the delegates had not voted him in.
“The issue is that I lost. Defeated. And many of those who were voted in... some were still new, getting over 500 votes. It is embarrassing if I get the post. Embarrassing to me. But of course, that does not mean I will backstab the team. I will work,” he said.
Sivanesan said that he would announce his decision in a press conference this Friday.
On whether he believed Kulasegaran should accept the vice-chairmanship, Sivanesan said the choice was entirely up to the leader.
“I will make my own decision and I believe it is Kula’s prerogative to make his,” he said.
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