GE14 | Making last-minute changes to Johor DAP’s candidate lineup may prove to be a fatal mistake, says Johor DAP veteran Dr Boo Cheng Hau.

Drawing an analogy to his experience in managing a football team, he said such changes would leave openings for DAP’s opponents to attack the party.

“I used to manage a football team although I’m not a footballer, and I know full well that changing player’s positions at the last minute would mean a slim chance of victory.

“I had this experience in secondary school when my class football team’s goalkeeper caught chicken pox on the day of a competition, and we had to call up a reserve player to be the goalkeeper,” the incumbent Skudai assemblyperson told a press conference today, a video of which was posted on his Facebook page.

“Two goals later, it was clear that he couldn’t perform, so we swapped a striker to be the goalkeeper. In the end, we lost 0 - 6.

“Likewise, as the election draws near, I think it is a fatal mistake to suddenly swap the candidates around. Other parties would have a topic to attack us on,” he added.

Read more: Boo hits back at DAP, denies not being a 'team player'

Yesterday, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng announced that Boo’s protégé Tan Hong Pin will be contesting in Skudai, but skirted the question whether Boo would be fielded as a parliamentary candidate.

Boo had previously rejected an offer to contest in the Labis parliamentary seat.

At the press conference today, he said he had been accused of derailing DAP’s plans with his refusal to contest in Labis, and such accusations are “malicious and irresponsible” because there are at least six others who are tipped to contest there.

Consulting the grassroots

Boo also noted that although the issue of candidacy is the sole prerogative of the DAP central executive committee (CEC), the party leadership should still have consulted the Gelang Patah DAP grassroots on their decision.

He said Gelang Patah DAP had passed resolutions on two occasions stating that party supremo Lim Kit Siang should remain in Gelang Patah and Boo in Skudai.

Skudai is a part of the Gelang Patah parliamentary constituency (now Iskandar Puteri). 

Boo said this because the two seats are deemed relatively safe, and affords the two leaders more time to campaign for DAP candidates elsewhere.

Even if the CEC disagrees, he stressed that democratic convention warrants consultation with Gelang Patah DAP on their decision and an explanation.

'No regrets'

Though admitting that he was sad and disappointed at not being picked to contest in Skudai, Boo said he would remain in DAP and assist any Pakatan Harapan candidate if called upon to do so.

Continuing the football analogy, he likened himself to a midfielder – able to pass the ball to the striker to score, or helping defenders keep a clean sheet.

He was quick to stress that he has no regrets joining DAP in 1994 and becoming active within the party the following year, even if it meant spending his own funds to keep his service centre running.

“I have no regrets. This is how we build up DAP. The reason we bought this office and also our state office is to show that we are determined and committed to our struggles, and to our political beliefs.

“We make our presence, we make our appearance, and we provide our services to the people. That’s how we conquered Johor. We already had a handsome victory in the last election.

“No regrets. Why should I regret? I really enjoyed it although they won’t let me contest.

"I really enjoyed the past 20 years and how we really sit down and think and strategise, and to really invest in our political struggles to make it a success,” he said when asked.