Speculation is rife that a 'silent conflict' between Bah Tony (left) and Ngeh is the reason behind the former's resignation from DAP.KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyat has suffered a setback in its bid to regain Perak. One of its rising stars, Bah Tony, has quit the DAP.
The 58-year-old Orang Asli activist lawyer submitted his resignation letter to Perak DAP chairman Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham almost two weeks ago, without any fanfare, and has been incommunicado since.
The matter was kept silent as the leadership is trying to talk him out of quitting.
His reasons for leaving are still a matter of speculation although party insiders tell The Malay Mail it is because Bah was unable to see eye-to-eye with Ngeh, as well as over issues surrounding his candidacy for the Chenderiang state seat.
Bah, whose real name is Amani William-Hunt Abdullah, was seen as the best candidate to challenge MCA's Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon in Chenderiang, which has been Perak's largest number of Orang Asli voters.
But a senior Pakatan Rakyat official said the PR leadership was also unable to give Bah a definite answer if he would stand in Chenderiang.
"There were also plans that if Pakatan wins the state in the coming elections, he will be a state exco member as he would be able to represent his community," said the official.
A PKR insider said there has been a "silent conflict" between Bah and Ngeh over the last few months.
Among the issues were those involving the Orang Asli that did not make it to the DAP platform.
"The purpose of him joining DAP was not fulfilled and therefore, he felt it defeated his purpose of joining the party," he said, adding that Bah worked closely with PKR rather than DAP on Orang Asli issues.
It is also learnt that there were suggestions for Bah to stand on a PKR ticket in Chenderiang.
"We know he has no intention of joining Barisan Nasional. The PKR leadership will have a talk with Bah on the matter sometime soon and he is welcome to join PKR if he wishes," said a party member.
"There has also been talk that the Orang Asli community was uncomfortable with him joining DAP and he would strongly stand by their views," said a senior PR official.
He also said "he (Bah) had his reservations (on quitting). His resignation is a great loss to DAP and it will be wise for the party leadership to convince him to reconsider his resignation.
Ngeh: Problems? What Problems?
PERAK DAP chairman Ngeh Koo Ham has denied any problems with Bah Tony, saying the latter was still on good terms with the party leadership.
"After he tendered his resignation to me, he even paid a courtesy call to Lim Kit Siang, Ngeh told The Malay Mail.
"I don’t want to speculate on the reasons he chose to resign. The best would be if it comes from him. However, it was not a sudden decision made by him. He had been considering the matter for the last few months."
Ngeh rubbished allegations that DAP did not assist the Orang Asli community after Bah joined the party.
"When Pakatan led the state government in 2008, Bah was appointed as a liaison officer to handle Orang Asli affairs, mainly on land issues. I was also the one who approached Bah to join DAP," he said.
"We hope he will consider his resignation as we see him as a candidate in the coming elections," he said.
On the issue of the candidacy for Chenderiang, Ngeh said it was still being discussed by Pakatan Rakyat.
Bah's resignation is the latest high-profile resignation from DAP following the move by Tunku Abdul Aziz in May.
– The Malay Mail
