DAP Liu under pressure to quit post by PAS

Liu under pressure to quit post

PETALING JAYA: The controversy over last week’s beer raid at a 24-hour convenience store in Shah Alam is giving Selangor Local Government, Research and Development exco member Ronnie Liu a pounding headache.

He has come under more pressure to quit his post, this time from a PKR MP who called him a liability to the state Pakatan Rakyat government and an Umno Youth exco member who said the movement was ready to join forces with PAS to force him out of his office.

Kulim Bandar Bahru MP Zulkifli Noordin said it was no longer tenable for Liu to hold the post after his alleged meddling in the Shah Alam City Council’s (MBSA) action against the sale of beer by the convenience store.

“Looking at the situation, I have to agree with Selangor PAS commissioner Datuk Dr Hassan Ali in calling for Ronnie Liu’s resignation as a state exco member,” said Zulkifli on his blog yesterday.

He said Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim should demand for Liu’s resignation if he refused not do so voluntarily, or else the state Pakatan would lose in the next general election.

Dr Hassan had on Tuesday called on Khalid to drop Liu from the powerful Local Government post and take up the post himself or appoint someone else to the job.

Responding to Dr Hassan’s statement, Khalid said the matter was a non-issue and that Liu would not be asked to vacate his post.

Zulkifli went on to say in his blog that Pakatan chief whip in the state assembly Azmin Ali’s call for a reshuffle of the state exco line-up needed to be taken seriously.

He said the call was made based on public perception that it was easy to obtain approvals for certain things by approaching one or two exco members allegedly linked to the underworld.

Umno Youth exco member and Bukit Bintang division chief Tengku Azman Tengku Zainal Abidin said the movement was willing to join PAS Youth in its rally tomorrow to call for Liu’s removal from his position.

However, he said that Umno Youth would only do so if PAS managed to get a police permit for the rally.

PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub, meanwhile, said the party would ask Dr Hassan to explain his call for Liu’s resignation.

He was quoted by Bernama as saying that the party did not want any misunderstanding or confusion to arise with regards to the call.

Salahuddin said he would meet with Dr Hassan soon to hear for himself the context in which the statement was made.

source : thestar.com.my