Former Selangor DAP chief Tony Pua's ousting from the state party leadership was partly caused by his bid to push for new faces in this year's general election, said Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh.

"Tony Pua did not make it to the top 15 and everyone's asking why.

"I believe this is partly caused by the selection of DAP Selangor candidates in the last general elections. Seven out of 15 seats had fresh faces being chosen.

"That's something Tony has to pay the price for now - the price for taking risk in people," she said in a Facebook post today.

Yeoh, who was former Selangor speaker, said she too was a beneficiary of Pua's penchant to promote new faces.

"He did it for me and Teo Nie Ching in 2007 and he did the same for Yeo Bee Yin and Ong Kian Ming in 2013.

"Today all four of us are serving as minister and deputy ministers," she said.

Yeoh is currently the deputy minister for women, family and community development. 

The challenge of grassroots politics

Yeoh added that if it was not for Pua's diligence in pursuing the 1MDB scandal, in addition to DAP's Impian Malaysia projects for marginalised communities and publicity materials for the party, it would not have won so handsomely in the general election.

However, she said his focus at the national level may have also come at the expense of grassroots politics, which was important for maintaining support.

"Grassroots politics not easy (sic). (It) requires spending time with members in various branches and multiple locations.

"If you are spending time planning and strategising for national issues and DAP at the national level, something would have to give at the local level.

"I guess this is it," she said.

Yeoh, who was the outgoing Selangor DAP vice-chairperson, did not contest in the election as she had relocated to Kuala Lumpur due to her parliamentary seat being in the federal territory.

She was elected into the new Federal Territories DAP line-up.

She said the DAP must always remain a grassroots party that has its “ears and hands close to the man on the street”.

"Today, Selangor has sent a strong signal that the future beckons, but never lose sight of what has made the DAP - hard work, perseverance, and doing what is right even if it costs you. The fight is worth it for Malaysia.

"Tony Pua, we need you now to help (Finance Minister) Lim Guan Eng get this nation back on its feet. Gobind and the new Selangor team, you need to keep leading so that Selangor remains the model for the new Malaysia," she said.

Pua is the special officer to Lim in the Finance Ministry.