The DAP has found that Pulau Tikus assemblyperson Koay Teng Hai breached party discipline by going away to the United States although his leave was rejected due to his presence being required for a constitutional amendment in the recent state assembly legislative.

pc on vietnamese workers victim treated as criminal 040412 koay teng hai Penang party secretary Ng Wei Aik said Koay ( left ) has been notified of the decision, and the party's disciplinary committee would take further action on the matter.

Ng, who is political secretary to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, said that Koay had applied for leave from Lim, state party chief Chow Kon Yeow and House speaker Abdul Halim Hussein.

"We take the matter seriously. It is not related to any previous issue. We will deal with it professionally and it was a collective decision by the state working committee," Ng added.

"Koay is also our backbencher's club chairperson and he should know his responsibility that all YBs should attend the sitting," he added.

Koay was summoned to the state working committee meeting last night to explain his absence during the last state assembly sitting.

The House had voted for a constitutional amendment to pass the Anti-Hopping law, which eventually went through, even without Koay's presence.

Chow and five committee members had reportedly attended the meeting at the DAP headquarters in Jalan Rangoon.

Ng, who is also DAP Socialist Youth state chief, said Koay had admitted that he made a wrong judgement.

 Observing the US elections

During the Dewan sitting from Nov 1 to 9, Koay was in US to observe the presidential election on Nov 6.

NONE The meeting last night was attended by Chow, Ng, party's state vice-chief Jagdeep Singh Deo ( left ), state assistant secretary Lim Hui Ying, state treasurer Wong Hon Wai, organising secretary Teh Yee Cheu, state publicity secretary Chong Eng and state political education director Law Heng Kiang.

State deputy chief P Ramasamy and state vice-chief Lim Hock Seng were exempted from the meeting, held from 6pm to 7.20pm, as they also sit on the party's disciplinary committee.

Ng said Lim was "extremely upset" over Koay's absence, saying he could be either reprimanded, suspended or expelled.

"We did not recommend any punishment but our preliminary findings will help the disciplinary committee make a decision," he added.

"He was later advised to go after the voting but said he did not note the remark and flew as scheduled," Ng stressed, adding that Koay knew the consequences of his actions.

However, Koay was reportedly not aware of the exact date the anti-hopping law would be tabled, thinking it would be on the last day of the Dewan, on Nov 9.

He thought he could return in time for the tabling of the constitutional amendments but unfortunately due to Superstorm Sandy, he was stranded in the US.

"We have 29 YBs and he thought that would be enough to pass the amendments but did not take into consideration that anything could happen," said Ng.

Indeed, on that day, DAP's Berapit assemblyperson Lydia Ong took leave to attend her father's funeral, and only 27 out the 40 state reps voted, with the four Umno assemblymen abstaining.

Leave application rejected twice

Ng said Koay did not meet any party leaders although he had the opportunity to raise the matter in internal meetings.

"We would have advised him about it," said Ng, who spoke at a press conference at the party's headquarters in Penang today.

Koay's trip was through the International Visitor Programme for Young Political Leaders from Oct 29 to Nov 16. He was invited to be part of it by the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 16.

NONE Following the invitation, Koay applied for leave twice from Lim ( right ), on Oct 11 and 20, but both applications were rejected by latter, who is the party's secretary-general.

In rejecting his leave application, Lim remarked in writing that Koay could leave for the programme later, after the Bill was tabled.

However, Ng said Koay did not take note of the remark and left for the US as planned.

Koay was the only Malaysian candidate for the US trip, and upon leaving for the programme, he had issued a media statement saying that his voters could contact his assistant in his absence.

Koay's US trip: From Sandy storm to DAP storm