By Teoh El Sen - Free Malaysia Today
PETALING JAYA: Sacked DAP leader and ex-Klang municipal councillor Tee Boon Hock today lashed out at those who betrayed him in the support letter controversy, saying he was being made the “sacrificial lamb”.
PETALING JAYA: Sacked DAP leader and ex-Klang municipal councillor Tee Boon Hock today lashed out at those who betrayed him in the support letter controversy, saying he was being made the “sacrificial lamb”.
He said he became the “political scapegoat” in the whole episode and took a swipe at selfish leaders who did not care about the party.
“I was destoyed by these selfish leaders,” he said.
But he continues to maintain his innocence in the whole affair, which ended in his sacking from the party.
Last night, the DAP central executive committee (CEC) decided to stick to its disciplinary committee's move to sack Tee for issuing a recommendation letter for his son's business.
The CEC also took no further action against Tee's former boss Selangor executive councillor Ronnie Liu, whose letterhead and seal were used in the letter, save for the "severe reprimand" dealt out to him.
"I still feel that the party has treated me very unfairly and I have been used as a scapegoat. But I still stand by my innocence," Tee told FMT today.
Accusing the party leadership of practising "double standards", the former DAP state organising secretary said if the same principles applied to him were applied elsewhere, a lot more people should also be sacked.
"If we say support letters are wrong, then PKR's Hamidah (Mat Sum) is also wrong and guilty of issuing support letters for her husband's business. Shouldn't she be sacked?" he asked.
'An obedient servant'
Previously, Kapar MCA division chief Song Kee Chai had claimed that Hamidah, a Klang municipal councillor, had also issued letters to help her husband secure contracts from the council.
However, Tee, the former special assistant to Liu, maintained that the issuance of support letters is not tantamount to corruption.
"Support letters are just a recommendation; there's no conflict (of interest) because the decision to award lies with the council's director, not me. And I was not in the Price Quotation Board until Oct 1 2009.
“In other words, I had nothing to do with the project going to the company (where Tee's son is a director). If I really gave the project, then I would not be fighting for my rights at all," said Tee.
Tee reiterated that he had no knowledge of his son's directorship and that he was signing the support letter on behalf of Liu, as an "obedient servant".
He said if he knew about his son's directorship, he probably would not have got into "all this nonsense".
"My son was so young, only 19, when he was put in that company. I didn't even know it. When contractors who have helped us a lot during elections come to us, we normally do not do any assessments and base everything on trust. They support us, we support them. It's not wrong."
Tee added that the party was unfair in not allowing him an opportunity to defend himself.
"I don't agree with the leaders' decision that the CEC has no power to review Liu's so-called punishment. The party must base its decisions on public opinion and it is very important to maintain the integrity of the party. We are supposed to move people and how can we do it without a clean image?" said Tee, a party member for some 26 years.
'Liu should take responsibility'
Tee also criticised the Pakatan Rakyat government for not issuing a clear guideline on the issuance of such letters from the very beginning.
"When we first took over the government, the officers from the previous administration who have been there for so long asked us for support letters for whatever we did; as we were new, we followed suit," said Tee, who has yet to receive a letter of termination as a councillor.
"But only now Menteri Besar (Khalid Ibrahim) has asked for a guideline. I have become the sacrificial lamb, so that the others will be given amnesty," he said.
Tee also said he feels Liu should take responsibility.
"If I made any mistake at that time, he should have told me in 2008. Why now? Why me? "
Asked if his sacking had anything to do with Liu being afraid of his growing grassroots support, Tee said, "Yes, there is a political agenda."
He said his relationship with Liu soured when the latter mistakenly thought he was the one who "gave information" about the allegations that Liu was linked to underworld characters.
"He was mad at me," said Tee, who was abruptly removed as a special assistant to Liu in November 2009, ending their once-close ties.
Elite guard
On talks that he had aligned himself to DAP veteran and Selangor speaker Teng Chang Khim, Tee said it was simply the work of the "elite guard"-- spies who are close to the DAP leadership.
"I had one function last year during Chinese New Year, and when my committee invited the speaker (Teng) to grace the occasion, they were already saying I am aligned to Teng. They were saying ',Oh, Tee is a very dangerous man now'. They marked me," said Tee, who clarified that he had been loyal to Liu and had never spoken to Teng for over 10 years.
Tee said he felt he was wholly betrayed by Liu, whom he had strongly supported, especially during the 2008 general election.
"I contested twice in Pandamaran, but in in 2008, I told Liu, 'you don't have luck winning a seat in parliament, so why don't you try Pandamaran? Just bring your suitcase and nomination form, and I will do everything.' And I did everything – canvassing grassroots support, putting up posters, holding ceramah, everything. He even used my house as an operation baser" said Tee.
"I feel betrayed by him. He was treated so nice but he had to listen to hearsay that I wanted to contest in Pandamaran and take it back from him.
“As a leader you don't listen to all these speculation. I was going to the ground because I like to do public service; my blood is with the DAP, and I like to help people."
Asked about his future plans, Tee, who joined DAP when he was 26 in 1984, said he would be concentrating on his transport business for now.
"Future plans... that I will decide later. My family, especially my wife, is exhausted as she could not sleep well, though I slept well knowing that I was right.
“My children asked me why I was involved in all this. But I still do put my hope in DAP. It is a good party."
"I was destroyed by a handful of selfish leaders who look after their own interests rather than the party and people."
“I was destoyed by these selfish leaders,” he said.
But he continues to maintain his innocence in the whole affair, which ended in his sacking from the party.
Last night, the DAP central executive committee (CEC) decided to stick to its disciplinary committee's move to sack Tee for issuing a recommendation letter for his son's business.
The CEC also took no further action against Tee's former boss Selangor executive councillor Ronnie Liu, whose letterhead and seal were used in the letter, save for the "severe reprimand" dealt out to him.
"I still feel that the party has treated me very unfairly and I have been used as a scapegoat. But I still stand by my innocence," Tee told FMT today.
Accusing the party leadership of practising "double standards", the former DAP state organising secretary said if the same principles applied to him were applied elsewhere, a lot more people should also be sacked.
"If we say support letters are wrong, then PKR's Hamidah (Mat Sum) is also wrong and guilty of issuing support letters for her husband's business. Shouldn't she be sacked?" he asked.
'An obedient servant'
Previously, Kapar MCA division chief Song Kee Chai had claimed that Hamidah, a Klang municipal councillor, had also issued letters to help her husband secure contracts from the council.
However, Tee, the former special assistant to Liu, maintained that the issuance of support letters is not tantamount to corruption.
"Support letters are just a recommendation; there's no conflict (of interest) because the decision to award lies with the council's director, not me. And I was not in the Price Quotation Board until Oct 1 2009.
“In other words, I had nothing to do with the project going to the company (where Tee's son is a director). If I really gave the project, then I would not be fighting for my rights at all," said Tee.
Tee reiterated that he had no knowledge of his son's directorship and that he was signing the support letter on behalf of Liu, as an "obedient servant".
He said if he knew about his son's directorship, he probably would not have got into "all this nonsense".
"My son was so young, only 19, when he was put in that company. I didn't even know it. When contractors who have helped us a lot during elections come to us, we normally do not do any assessments and base everything on trust. They support us, we support them. It's not wrong."
Tee added that the party was unfair in not allowing him an opportunity to defend himself.
"I don't agree with the leaders' decision that the CEC has no power to review Liu's so-called punishment. The party must base its decisions on public opinion and it is very important to maintain the integrity of the party. We are supposed to move people and how can we do it without a clean image?" said Tee, a party member for some 26 years.
'Liu should take responsibility'
Tee also criticised the Pakatan Rakyat government for not issuing a clear guideline on the issuance of such letters from the very beginning.
"When we first took over the government, the officers from the previous administration who have been there for so long asked us for support letters for whatever we did; as we were new, we followed suit," said Tee, who has yet to receive a letter of termination as a councillor.
"But only now Menteri Besar (Khalid Ibrahim) has asked for a guideline. I have become the sacrificial lamb, so that the others will be given amnesty," he said.
Tee also said he feels Liu should take responsibility.
"If I made any mistake at that time, he should have told me in 2008. Why now? Why me? "
Asked if his sacking had anything to do with Liu being afraid of his growing grassroots support, Tee said, "Yes, there is a political agenda."
He said his relationship with Liu soured when the latter mistakenly thought he was the one who "gave information" about the allegations that Liu was linked to underworld characters.
"He was mad at me," said Tee, who was abruptly removed as a special assistant to Liu in November 2009, ending their once-close ties.
Elite guard
On talks that he had aligned himself to DAP veteran and Selangor speaker Teng Chang Khim, Tee said it was simply the work of the "elite guard"-- spies who are close to the DAP leadership.
"I had one function last year during Chinese New Year, and when my committee invited the speaker (Teng) to grace the occasion, they were already saying I am aligned to Teng. They were saying ',Oh, Tee is a very dangerous man now'. They marked me," said Tee, who clarified that he had been loyal to Liu and had never spoken to Teng for over 10 years.
Tee said he felt he was wholly betrayed by Liu, whom he had strongly supported, especially during the 2008 general election.
"I contested twice in Pandamaran, but in in 2008, I told Liu, 'you don't have luck winning a seat in parliament, so why don't you try Pandamaran? Just bring your suitcase and nomination form, and I will do everything.' And I did everything – canvassing grassroots support, putting up posters, holding ceramah, everything. He even used my house as an operation baser" said Tee.
"I feel betrayed by him. He was treated so nice but he had to listen to hearsay that I wanted to contest in Pandamaran and take it back from him.
“As a leader you don't listen to all these speculation. I was going to the ground because I like to do public service; my blood is with the DAP, and I like to help people."
Asked about his future plans, Tee, who joined DAP when he was 26 in 1984, said he would be concentrating on his transport business for now.
"Future plans... that I will decide later. My family, especially my wife, is exhausted as she could not sleep well, though I slept well knowing that I was right.
“My children asked me why I was involved in all this. But I still do put my hope in DAP. It is a good party."
"I was destroyed by a handful of selfish leaders who look after their own interests rather than the party and people."
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