Ex-DAP Socialist Youth chief Teng Chang Khim's defeat in yesterday's elections of the wing may be partly due to the lack of encouragement form the party's top leadership, said its national chairperson Lim Kit Siang.

Lim conceded today that he has to take "certain responsibility" for Teng, who publicly told him not to seek re-election in 2001, and his failure to retain his position as Youth chief.

Speaking to reporters after opening the party's national congress in Kuala Lumpur, Lim said he had not asked delegates to vote for Teng yesterday like he had done during the 1999 Dapsy election.

"I did not ask them to vote for him this time. But these are the votes of the delegates and Teng must find out the reason and learn from it," said Lim, who spotted a bandaged finger sustained from a recent mugging incident outside his daughter's house in Petaling Jaya.

He also denied that the party has no space for dissenting views, as alleged by Teng, telling reporters that "you should ask him (Teng) about it".

"If there is no room, he shouldn't be able to say that even", Lim said.

Kerk made executive decisions

However, the veteran politician said he did not know who Teng was referring to as for the last three years, it was secretary general Kerk Kim Hock who made all the executive decisions for the party.

Lim was responding to Teng, who is Bandar Kelang state assembly representative, who blamed several DAP central executive committee members for his defeat.

"It was a battle between some national leaders and myself," he told reporters after the election results were announced last night.

He also accused the party of not tolerating dissent, saying that "there is room for dissent in the party but it is not large enough".

While acknowledging the changes in the voting pattern of the 121 delegates, Teng expressed surprise that he was not able to make it even to the wing's 20-member national executive council.

Teng, who took over from Lim Guan Eng as Dapsy chief in 1999, only managed to secure 56 out of 121 votes in a field of 35 candidates vying for the NEC positions this year. Pantai Remis state assembly representative Nga Kor Ming is now the new Dapsy chairperson.

Penang DAP assistant publicity secretary Tan Hun Wooi was elected the wing's deputy chief.