KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 — Dr Hiew King Chew (pic), the assemblyman for Luyang in Sabah who quit the DAP in September last year, announced today that he has joined the MCA.
The former Sabah DAP advisor said he submitted his membership application form to Sabah MCA chief Wilson Yong in the presence of MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai here yesterday.
“I chose the MCA because the party defends the position of the Chinese and, at the same time, serves all the races,” he said when contacted by Bernama.
Hiew said he decided to join the MCA after several of the party’s leaders in Sabah invited him to join the Barisan Nasional (BN) component party.
“After quitting the DAP to become an independent assemblyman, I found it difficult to consolidate my position and win the people’s confidence because I had no party backing,” he said.
Meanwhile, Liow said in a post on Twitter that Hiew had joined the MCA and would struggle for the party and country.
Hiew had announced last September that he was quitting the DAP to become an independent assemblyman after a quarrel with several Sabah DAP leaders following his decision to back Klias assemblyman Datuk Lajim Ukin as the Sabah opposition leader when the party supported Tamparuli assemblyman Datuk Wilfred Bumburing.
Hiew’s colleagues in the state liaison committee called for disciplinary action against him but he resigned as the Sabah DAP advisor and quit the party.
In the 13th general election last year, Hiew won the Luyang seat on a DAP ticket, polling 11,213 votes to beat Shim Tshin Nyuk of the BN from MCA by a majority of 8,676 votes.
— BERNAMA
