YOURSAY | ‘We respect and salute your sacrifices.’

Vijay47: There appears a school of thought here that former PKR vice-president Chua Tian Chang, better known as Tian Chua (above, centre), is a victim of ingratitude and hence the sorry lot he now suffers. No, not true at all. Nobody can ever forget that vision of him sitting before the police trucks, he was a brave PKR warrior, heroic even, if a tad reckless.

His winning margin in past elections reflects his popularity in Batu and the support was earned through selfless service. Yet, let us not forget that he committed two cardinal sins, the first far greater than the second. He chose to run in cahoots with that other traitor, the one-time deputy president of PKR, Azmin Ali, and in the process helped to bring down the Pakatan Harapan government.

Still a hero? How poetic that both suffered the same ignominious fate. He then fell on his own sword by standing against a party candidate, amusing himself and mocking us by claiming that it was for the greater good of PKR. Perhaps he grew arrogant in his earlier fame, perhaps he was suffering the fate of those whom the gods wish to take.

That is for him to rue and ponder upon in his new moments of leisure. His conduct was not the welcome offering of an alternate or even differing opinion, it was clear open betrayal of the cause, a talent no doubt acquired from the hounds he was now running with. He could not expect otherwise, nobody would clasp a viper to the bosom.

So spare us this lament that Tian Chua was done in, that he was used, abused, and disposed of when he served the party. Too bad for you, your evil lives after you. You are merely reaping what you sowed.

AnginLintang: What PKR has achieved today was what Tian Chua has fought for but he was sidelined along the way and drifted away from the party’s leadership. Ironic that party president Anwar Ibrahim became prime minister and Tian Chua got booted from PKR. Both Anwar and Tian Chua were wrong and both were right too. They both may have had different views.

I can’t equate or speak of former PKR leaders Azmin and Zuraida Kamaruddin the same way I would of Tian Chua as a PKR veteran. However, I can confidently put Tian Chua on par with people like Anwar himself.

Politics is politics, Anwar made many mistakes in sidelining good guys and has elevated the status of many who were useless. PKR deputy president and Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli almost ended up like Tian Chua.

Anwar should have put in more effort in gaining the trust and confidence of those few good guys who fought with and for him when he was reduced to being a prison inmate.

YellowHarimau7529: Brother, you were the symbol of “reformasi” when you sat in front of a police truck during the early days. You have sacrificed a lot for the party. We respect and salute you for your sacrifices. You will be remembered. Your work will be remembered. All the best brother in your future endeavour.

Ferdtan: From hero to zero. Once bravely sat in front of a police truck in protest to uphold democracy, now naively got steamrolled and crushed by his own egoist actions. It is not all about the beginnings or the between, it is the end that counts. The beginning journey in life may be important but still the final destination matters.

WargaMas: Tian Chua started out as the champion of “reformasi” and a good rabble-rouser. Sadly he didn’t grow up to be a senior statesperson. He is the Chinese icon in PKR and could be a good voice to champion non-Malay issues as PKR is not seen as a chauvinist Chinese party by the Malay voters.

If it’s true Tian Chua was involved in the Sheraton Move then this may be karma for him.

For a Better World: Tian Chua should not have considered himself more powerful than the party. His loyalty to the leadership was questionable. Everyone in the party is just a member and some are elected as party officials and in divisions.

He lost in the Batu division elections. Batu voters did not want him but he defiantly stood as an independent and lost his deposit. Simple logic - “Don’t defy your party, as alone you are nobody.” Voters vote for the party, not the individual personality 95 percent of the time.

Cogito Ergo Sum: However you look at it, a sad exit for a person who symbolised “reformasi”. Was this your plan, to go out by getting sacked? It was not very statesmanlike on your part to stand against your own party and your protégé, Batu MP P Prabakaran.

He was admired by many at one stage. Today, his “refomasi” image is all but in tatters. He could have stayed on and helped the younger generations to learn about being reformists and game changers.

BrownTiger7124: He should have been given the sack immediately after he announced his candidacy as an independent candidate during the 15th general election. What was he thinking? It was stupid of him to overrate his worth. Now we know his worth, it is good riddance.

Fair Play: Tian Chua’s future within PKR had reached the point of no return. He had to leave either with a bang or a whimper. He ended up being kicked out, which was better than a whimper.

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