KUALA LUMPUR – Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye continues to stand firm by what he said in his recent biography, reiterating that DAP’s political backstabbing had led him to leave the party.
In a sharp retort to DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang, Lee stressed that he had to quit after the party was adamant in not fielding him in Bukit Bintang for the 1990 general election.
“I can’t help it if some people have selective memories.
“I had said I quit the party because I was told by Lim that I would not be fielded to stand for the 1990 parliamentary elections in the Bukit Bintang constituency of which I was the MP for four terms,” Lee was quoted as saying by The Star.
This comes after Lim had accused Lee of lying about circumstances that led to the latter’s exit from DAP, as revealed in Lee’s latest autobiography.
The Iskandar Puteri MP denied ever telling Lee that the party’s leadership had decided to field him, the then incumbent MP in Bukit Bintang, in another seat for the 1990 general election, as claimed in the new book.
Lee said he had to explain the actual reason leading to his departure as a means to refute the malicious rumours that were meant to smear his reputation at the time.
“This is the simple truth. There is no point belabouring this or prolonging the issue. It benefits no one. It belongs to the annals of history,” he was quoted as saying.
“As such, I wish to put this episode behind me.
“I did what I needed to do to set the record straight in the face of vicious rumours against me during the 1990 election.”
Despite renewed interest in the circumstances leading to his exit from active politics, Lee said he will not respond to Lim or any other parties on the matter.
“Let the people be the final judge on my character and integrity and my relationship with Lim,” Lee said.
In his recently released biography, Call Lee Lam Thye: Recalling a Lifetime of Service, Lee had claimed political backstabbing by DAP was what drove him out of active politics.
Lee also claimed he tried appealing the decision to drop him from the Bukit Bintang seat with DAP’s higher-ups but failed, saying he sensed something sinister behind their decision at that time.
He also revealed how despite his efforts as deputy secretary-general in trying to hold the party together post-Ops Lalang in 1987, his falling out with the party’s leadership then left him with little choice but to retire entirely from politics. – The Vibes, June 18, 2022
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