SEBERANG PERAI, July 28 — Former DAP assemblyman M. Satees announced his resignation from the party today with plans to contest as an Independent candidate in the upcoming state polls.
The former Bagan Dalam assemblyman said he had to make this difficult decision to “save Penang from a tyrant”.
“I feel it is time to fight against someone who behaves like an emperor in Penang,” he said in an emotional press conference at his service centre in Butterworth.
The 37-year-old is the second DAP leader in Seberang Perai to quit the party and stand as an Independent candidate.
Yesterday, former councillor David Marshel announced his decision to resign from the party to stand as an Independent candidate in the Perai state seat.
Satees said his decision was not because he was not selected to defend his seat.
“That is not the reason, I no longer want to stay in the party, I need to be free to fight against the emperor from outside the party,” he said.
“I still love this party very much and I believe it can go in the right direction if we can get rid of the tyrant and emperor,” he said.
Satees said many of his friends, family members and even his mentor, caretaker deputy chief minister II P. Ramasamy, had asked him to reconsider his decision.
“This is not a fight against DAP, I still have friends in DAP. This fight is against the emperor who thinks Penang belongs to him,” he said, without naming the person whom he also described as a “tyrant”.
He added that he has advised his team and grassroots supporters to remain in DAP.
“I will fight this alone. They should stay in the party to fight against the tyrant from within and to support Chow Kon Yeow,” he said.
Chow is Penang DAP chief and the caretaker chief minister.
Like David, Satees said he fully supports Chow to be reappointed Penang chief minister if the “unity government” wins on August 12.
“If I’m elected as an assemblyman, I will pledge my support for Chow, I will not join Perikatan Nasional,” he said.
Satees and David will form an independent bloc to campaign together as candidates in support of Chow.
“I am here to defend Chow and to defend Penang from a tyrant who thinks Penang belongs to him,” Satees added, and that he will stop any attempt to oust Chow as the chief minister.
“The emperor wants to sit there to decide on the direction of Penang,” he said.
He added that Bagan Dalam voters who worry about the “green wave” should not support the “power-crazy tyrant” as they have the option of choosing him “as the third force to go against the extremism of Perikatan Nasional and to go against the emperor from taking control of Penang”.
“We need to send the message that Penang is ours, it is not his father’s for him to do what he likes with it,” he said.
The Penang state elections will be held concurrently with Kedah, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Terengganu and Kelantan on August 12.
In the recent announcement of candidates by DAP, five former state excos were dropped from the list while seven new candidates were fielded.
Those dropped were Ramasamy, DAP wanita chief Chong Eng, Phee Boon Poh, Yeoh Soon Hin and Soon Lip Chee.
Former Pulau Tikus assemblyman Chris Lee Chun Kit was also dropped but he cited health reasons for withdrawing from the candidacy.
Submission of the nominated candidates will be held at the respective constituencies tomorrow.
