DAP man: Chin Tong willingly 'offered himself' to be fooled by Muhyiddin

Former deputy defence minister Liew Chin Tong should not have complained about Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin's political coup in his newly released book when he was the person who convinced DAP supporters to trust Muhyiddin in 2016.

Taking to Facebook, DAP central executive committee member Teng Chang Khim said Liew (above) had "offered himself to be fooled by Muhyiddin".

"The great strategist who tried his very best to convince party members and supporters to trust Muhyiddin since 2016, to the extent that he brought Muhyiddin to the party leadership retreat and did not want questions like UEC to be raised then so that Muhyiddin would not be offended or embarrassed, is telling us today that Muhyiddin has been a bad guy since 2016.

"Give me a break. You had willingly offered yourself to be fooled by Muhyiddin. Don't complain now," Teng said without mincing his words.

He was responding to Liew's new book, titled Lim Kit Siang: Patriot. Leader. Fighter, where the latter had argued that Muhyiddin was not an accidental prime minister.

Teng also shared a Free Malaysia Today report, which quoted Liew as saying the idea of the Muhyiddin-Azmin Ali combination was mooted by an important NGO leader as early as 2016.

According to Liew in his book, the NGO leader openly told this to Pakatan Harapan leaders during a meeting, after Bersatu and Harapan agreed to work together.

Liew, who is also the DAP political education director, said in 2015, the same NGO leader had proposed for then-PKR leader Azmin to be named as the opposition's PM candidate.

He said the idea of a Muhyiddin-Azmin combo continued to be promoted even after Harapan formally accepted Bersatu as a component party.

"There was a narrative after the Sheraton Move to promote the idea that Muhyiddin was an 'accidental prime minister' coming to the rescue when there was a deadlock (between PKR president Anwar Ibrahim and former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad)," said Liew.

Muhyiddin was named as the eighth prime minister in February 2020.

Teng is seen as a figure who is not aligned to the establishment in DAP.

He announced his intention to retire from politics in December 2020. Teng said he would not contest in the upcoming DAP election in June or defend his Bandar Baru Klang state seat in the 15th general election.