KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 — The Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) said today it holds no malice against DAP’s Puchong candidate Yeo Bee Yin when questioning her link with IOI Properties Group Bhd.
The anti-graft watchdog however said the group holds to its stance that the matter is of public interest, and invited Yeo for an open dialogue on her relationship with the group.
“While we meant no malice or harm to Yeo, we would like to invite Yeo to offer a response to these matters of public interest and engage in open conversations pertaining to her relationship with IOI Group Berhad.
“Ultimately, political parties must remain vigilant in ensuring that the circumstances giving rise to the expansion of the business-political nexus are limited as much as possible, especially if those parties are campaigning on an anti-corruption and reformist agenda,” it said.
It had earlier raised concerns about her connections to the company as she is married to its CEO Lee Yeow Seng, the son of late IOI Group Berhad founder Tan Sri Lee Shin Cheng.
C4 called the nomination of Yeo to run in Puchong a “glaring blind spot”, saying that at best DAP was unaware of her business connections and that at worst the connection could become leverage for the purposes of political funding.
It expressed worries over Yeo’s impartiality, and said that business-in-politics or vice-versa could give rise to issues such as nepotism and cronyism.
However, Selangor DAP secretary Ng Sze Han responded by saying that the properties belonging to IOI Properties Group Bhd are located in Sepang and Subang, and not Puchong.
Ng clarified that most of the properties are actually located in the Kinrara state constituency placed under the Subang federal seat — of which he is the state assemblyman.
Yeo is taking the place of DAP Selangor chief Gobind Singh Deo, who is the incumbent three-term MP for Puchong, as he is vacating the seat to seek re-election at the Damansara seat.
