I will contest if nominated – Pang

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KOTA KINABALU: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) vice president Datuk Pang Nyuk Ming will only contest for the party’s top posts if his division’s leaders and members wish him to do so.

“I am keen to contest but I have not yet made any firm decision because I need to get the opinion of my grassroots leaders. If they advise me against contesting, I will respect their decision. If they say contest, I will take up that decision,” the LDP Merotai chief said when met at the LDP Tanjung Aru and Petagas joint annual general meeting here yesterday.

According to the Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, he was offering to contest for the top posts as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had said the “era of leaders know all” is over.

“While we respect the supreme council’s resolution which called for the top two posts not to be contested, there was no decision that the two posts are not to be contested. And this is the voice of the supreme council, not the delegates.

“I still hold to the principle that the 800 delegates of the party is the voice of the party and that the voice of the delegation in the division is more important,” he said adding that he was standing by his offer to contest.

“I will only make my decision after making my rounds. If they (the grassroots) nominate me, I will accept and contest … it depends on the voices of the division’s delegates and members as what was said by the supreme council was not a binding resolution.

“Ultimately it is the wish of the members and if those who hold the posts have the support of all the party members, they shouldn’t fear me,” the Merotai assemblyman stressed.

Pang added that whether he contested or not would be revealed after September 15 which is the deadline for divisions to hold their AGM.

“I have gone down to the grassroots and the indication is good. I have been in politics for 20 over years, I have learned from some of the best. Do you think I would risk my neck if there was no support?” he said adding that he had yet to speak to party president Datuk VK Liew on the matter.

Responding to Liew’s hope that he reconsidered and not be influenced by external factors, Pang pointed out that if that was the case, he would not have sought the opinion of the grassroots.

He explained: “I never said I am challenging the top leaders. I said I offer, I am keen to move one step up. What (is the) influence from outside? Define outside.

“It is different if my decision was to challenge the party’s leaders; in my case the decision whether to take the next step will be made by the voices and wish of the grassroots,” he said.

He also agreed with deputy president Senator Datuk Chin Su Phin’s warning that there was a price to pay should he decide to contest as he would risk losing his current post and be left as just an ordinary member.

“Whether the leadership has the foresight or wisdom to elect me or not, we leave it to them. Datuk Chin had said we listen to the voices of the people, and that is exactly what I have been saying,” he said.

Chin had been reported as saying that Pang had discussed with him in private of his desire to contest.

“But I advised him that no matter who contested for the presidential post, they might pay a price for it,” he said.

When asked what the ‘price’ could be, Chin said it might be that the member could be stripped off his or her current post and be reverted to a normal party member.

Chin disclosed that the LDP supreme council had passed a resolution not to contest for the top two posts in the coming general meeting in October but the party could not stop members from nominating persons to contest for the top two party posts.