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Don’t tarnish my integrity, Santiago tells Loke, Gobind

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The former Klang MP denies DAP had told him GE14 would be his last time contesting in an election.

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Free Malaysia Today
Former Klang MP Charles Santiago says it is unbecoming of DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook and Selangor DAP chief Gobind Singh Deo to make up false narratives.

PETALING JAYA:
Former Klang MP Charles Santiago has denied DAP had informed him that the 14th general election (GE14) in 2018 would be his last as a candidate.

Santiago claimed these narratives were made up by DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook and Selangor DAP chief Gobind Singh Deo to manage the backlash over the decision to drop him as a candidate in the upcoming polls.

“It’s unfortunate that they are resorting to such responses given the massive public criticism (over their decision).

“And even if the extent of the backlash freaks them out, it’s unbecoming of both Loke and Gobind to hint that they were doing me a favour by allowing me to continue as a lawmaker given that I do not hold positions in the party.

“This is about my integrity and, as such, issues need to be clarified,” he said in a statement.

Santiago said it pained him to write this statement rebutting his DAP leaders, as he still wanted to ensure Pakatan Harapan (PH) won the 15th general election and that DAP did well at the polls.

He added that he will not be commenting on the matter anymore and appealed to the people of Klang to vote for PH.

“I entered politics for the sole purpose of advancing the agenda of the people and giving a voice to those who can’t speak for themselves.

“DAP was the platform I chose and it has been the best platform for me to do so, for which I am forever grateful. I was not in politics to build my faction,” he said.

On Wednesday, Loke announced that Kota Kemuning assemblyman V Ganabatirau will stand in Klang, a parliamentary seat Santiago had held for three terms.

In defending the decision, Gobind, who is also national DAP deputy chairman, said Santiago was fully aware that there had been requests for him to be replaced since 2013.

He added that he had spoken to Santiago “some time ago” and informed him about “some issues” that were brought to his attention. However, he did not state what the issues were.

Meanwhile, Malaysiakini quoted Loke as saying DAP had agreed the 2018 election was going to be Santiago’s last time contesting for the seat.

The former transport minister also said Santiago was informed about this. He dodged questions as to why this agreement was made, saying he was not secretary-general at the time and that Gobind had more knowledge on the matter.

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