Frustrated Boo won't lead Johor DAP any more

Upping the ante in his revolt against the DAP leadership in his state, the party's Johor chairperson Dr Boo Cheng Hau said today that he will relinquish all leadership positions from 2014.

In a long letter that expressed discontentment, Boo detailed infighting in DAP before the 13th general election and heaped both praise and brickbats on DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang, before warning all PKR parties to "more professionally" manage internal factionalism and conflicts.

Boo said he would not seek re-election as Johor DAP state chairperson and also urged members not to nominate him to the Johor DAP committee the in party's state-level elections due by January 2014.

"I must admit that it is not easy to let go all I have built up over the past 19 years, especially after winning 13 state seats and four parliamentary seats in Johor in the 13th general election. I hope the new state committee will achieve a greater height in the future elections," Boo (right) said.

However, Boo added, he would still "continue in a less partisan capacity to help PKR and DAP to grow in Johor".

The apparent Johor revolt follows similar discontent shown by the DAP leadership in Kedah and Malacca recently.

Boo had criticised DAP's 'Malaysian Dream' project, including its fund raising efforts, which he claimed were not approved by the DAP's central executive committee (CEC).

While DAP CEC members chided Boo for airing his grievances in public and offered him a private hearing, Boo had declined.

In his latest statement, Boo detailed infighting within DAP on candidate selections before GE13. He claimed that DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang had superseded the ground-up campaign strategy.

"I regret that some did not take my analysis well and believed that opportunities and dependence on leaders' personal appeals could conquer Johor," Boo said.

"I once stated that Lim Kit Siang's return to contest in Johor definitely had brought a political sensation and victory to Pakatan Rakyat and DAP Johor in the last general election.

"Nonetheless, the wind of change and the accumulated efforts and sacrifices by Johor DAP grassroots and state leadership over the years are also major contributors to electoral successes in GE13."

Kind words for Kit Siang

Contesting in Johor for the first time and putting his political career on the line in May, Lim had won the Gelang Patah seat, defeating Johor Menteri Besar and Umno giant Abdul Ghani Othman.

However, Boo also had some kind words for Lim.

"I always thought that Saudara Lim Kit Siang (right) deserves to be made a deputy prime minister of Malaysia for his vast experience in politics, and more importantly, it would be a noble effort to break racial politics in Malaysia where Malaysians have to judge a fellow countryman by his credentials and not by his ethnicity," he said.

Asking DAP members not to speculate, Boo explained that his decision to quit was to set a personal leadership example, after failing to change DAP from within and by his own efforts.

Finally, he dished out advice to PKR and DAP: "I hope our party's top leadership will look seriously into the management concept of sharing power and shouldering equal responsibilities with the state leadership and grassroots, and handle internal dissent and conflict more professionally."