BUTTERWORTH: Bagan Dalam incumbent Satees Muniandy has announced his exit from DAP and confirmed that he will run as an independent to defend the seat in the Penang state election on Aug 12.
However, Satees, who is also the Ujung Batu DAP Branch chief vowed to support Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow to continue leading the state.
At the same time, he stressed that he would not support Perikatan Nasional (PN) if he managed to defend the seat.
“I have sent a letter to the party’s (DAP) secretary-general Anthony Loke this morning and have informed Chow of this difficult decision, after 15 years of service in the party,“ he said during a press conference at the Bagan Dalam Assemblyman’s Office here today.
Satees is among several incumbents and members of the state executive council who have not been listed as candidates for the upcoming elections, the others being the environment and social welfare committee chairman Phee Boon Poh; social development and non-Muslim affairs committee chairman Chong Eng; youth and sports committee chairman Soon Lip Chee; tourism and creative industries committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin and Deputy Chief Minister II P. Ramasamy, who is also human capital development, education, science and technology committee chairman.
Satees, 38, said he would work together to create a bloc of Independent candidates with former Kampung Jawa Autocity DAP Branch chief David Marshel, who also announced his exit from the party yesterday and confirmed that he would run as an Independent candidate for the Perai state seat. -Bernama
