KLANG: The DAP polls that concluded on Sunday (March 20) did not turn out well for some big names in the party.

One of the casualties was Damansara MP Tony Pua who did not make it into the party's central executive committee (CEC).

Pua received 744 votes, which was 133 fewer than the 877 received by Jannie Lasimbang, who was in 30th place.

In a statement on Facebook, Pua conceded defeat and said that all good things must come to an end.

"I did not make the cut for the CEC. This is the first time I failed to be elected since I first participated in 2008," said Pua, adding this was despite the increase in number of the number of elected members to 30 from 20 previously.

Pua, who has had a long tenure as the DAP national publicity secretary, said he had informed the new secretary-general Anthony Loke that he does not want to be co-opted into the CEC as he believed his failure to make the cut reflected that the delegates had rejected him.

He recalled how he had quit the corporate sector and joined politics full-time in 2007.

"Despite the many struggles, challenges and pitfalls, the journey has given me the greatest joy as Malaysians fought tooth and nail against all odds in 2008 and 2013 before beating the mighty Barisan Nasional in 2018," he posted on Monday (March 21).

He also thanked newly-appointed DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng for giving him the opportunity to be his political secretary at the Finance Ministry when Pakatan Harapan formed the Federal government for 22 months after the 15th General Election in 2018.

Pua also said he was proud to have attracted many potential young people to join DAP.

He also admitted that it could have been his "zeal" to improve the quality of the party's elected representatives which offended some party members, resulting in his defeat in the party's Selangor committee election in 2018.

"I have, however, no regrets at all in giving the opportunity to the young and talented who will ultimately become the bedrock of the party's future," said Pua.

Other notable DAP personalities who did not make the cut for the CEC included former science, technology and innovation minister Yeo Bee Yin, who received 857 votes, 20 fewer than Lasimbang's total.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/03/21/039all-good-things-must-come-to-an-end039-says-tony-pua-after-exclusion-from-dap039s-cec