Former Melaka DAP chairman Damian Yeo has decided to boycott Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) campaign for the Nov 14 Melaka state election amid speculation of a possible electoral understanding with Bersatu.
Yeo, a former Duyong assemblyman, said he recently met former Melaka DAP chief Tey Kok Kiew to discuss PH’s strategies for the upcoming polls.
However, he said he decided to withdraw from the campaign after hearing that a plan under PH Plus could involve giving the Bemban seat to Bersatu.
Yeo cites 2020 political fallout
“But when I heard that the plan under PH Plus could involve giving up Bemban to Bersatu, my immediate reaction was, ‘Forget it, I am out.’
“The wound from being stabbed in the back is still fresh. Some political betrayals are simply too difficult to forget, let alone forgive,” he said.
Yeo was referring to Bersatu’s role in the collapse of the PH-led federal and Melaka governments in 2020.
“After hearing all this, I have made up my mind: I’m out. No more politics. No more election campaigns.
“I have better things to do with my life. All the best to everyone,” he said in a Facebook post.
Yeo’s political background
Yeo was appointed Melaka DAP chief in 2021 after Tey resigned. He stepped down from the position two years later.
A lawyer by profession, Yeo was elected Duyong assemblyman in 2018 with a majority of 2,895 votes.
He lost the seat to Umno’s Noor Helmy Abdul Halem in the 2021 state election by a margin of just 200 votes.
Speculation over PH-Bersatu understanding persists
Melaka PH has maintained that it will contest the upcoming state election on its own, but speculation of an electoral understanding with Bersatu continues.
The speculation was further fuelled by a dinner attended by state PH and Bersatu leaders last month, although DAP representatives were not present.
