GEORGE TOWN: All of Penang DAP's backbenchers assert that they are not among the "trio" mentioned in an online news report about a plot to unseat Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
In a joint statement, they labelled the article as "malicious and unfair for not mentioning who the three assemblymen are, thereby putting all the 10 assemblymen (from DAP) under unnecessary public suspicion".
That article, headlined “Internal DAP push to oust Chow, reinstall Lim as Penang CM”, was uploaded by Malaysiakini at about 1pm on Wednesday (May 3).
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The 10 assemblymen who issued the joint statement three hours later are Lim Guan Eng, Lim Siew Khim, Jason H'ng, Heng Lee Lee, Joseph Ng, Ong Ah Teong, Daniel Gooi, Satees Muniandy, Syerleena Abdul Rashid and Chris Lee.
They are all DAP backbenchers who hold no government posts.
"We solemnly attest that we have not spoken to Malaysiakini in this article. To attribute the report to any of three assemblymen (from DAP) is untrue and false. Thus, we are unable to ascertain where this baseless information is from," they wrote.
They said that they would "not be drawn into any attempt by irresponsible parties to divide and distract us from our objective of serving the people and ensuring Penang’s future".
They voiced their commitment to winning the coming state election and strengthening political stability, as well as fortifying the unity government in Putrajaya.
