Loke says DAP will decide on action against Sabah leaders for accepting ‘Datuk’ titles
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 — The DAP central executive committee will determine the appropriate action to take against two Sabah leaders who accepted titles today in breach of party police, said Anthony Loke.
This morning, Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Chan Fong Hin and Sabah DAP secretary Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe received the Panglima Gemilang Darjah Kinabalu (PGDK) awards in conjunction with Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin’s birthday celebration.
According to Malaysiakini, the DAP secretary-general said he had advised the two Sabah DAP leaders not to breach the party’s policy for members to only accept titles and awards after retiring from active politics.
“Without submitting any applications, Chan said that both names had been gazetted in the awards list. They have violated the party’s policy by accepting the awards,” Loke was quoted as saying by the news portal.
“Therefore, the matter will be referred to and deliberated upon at the next CEC meeting.”
Earlier, Chan acknowledged that he breached the party’s rule by accepting the title, but said he did so anyway to respect the Sabah governor.
He then said he would leave it to the party to decide if he should be penalised.
In 2018, DAP formalised its norm for party leaders to decline titles while still in active politics, after four received state honours carrying the title of Datuk.
Loke said at the time that the party’s central executive committee decided to put the “decades-old” practice into writing after the award recipients claimed ignorance of it.
