JOHOR BARU, June 1 — Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi has accused DAP of using government‑linked company (GLC) positions as political bargaining chips, following controversy over a purported offer involving Skudai assemblyman Marina Ibrahim.

Puad claimed the matter came to light when Marina allegedly rejected a proposal to contest the Tiram state seat in exchange for a GLC post. He said DAP had frequently criticised other parties for making political appointments in GLCs, describing such practices as unethical and unprofessional, yet was now guilty of the same.

“DAP is worse. The offer was made even before winning an election. It would be different if an appointment came after the polls, to recognise someone’s position as an assemblyman who was not made an Exco member or minister,” he wrote.

Puad further alleged that Johor DAP chairman Teo Nie Ching’s assurance to Marina demonstrated the party’s influence over Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, adding that similar issues could arise in Selangor and Penang.

He challenged DAP to disclose the names of its assemblymen and leaders — including those without elected positions — who hold GLC posts at federal and state level.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 2 — An aide to former Skudai assemblyman Marina Ibrahim has publicly questioned DAP’s decision to reportedly field her in the Tiram state seat for the upcoming Johor election, suggesting the move may have been made hastily due to seat allocation considerations.

According to The Star, Ong Huai Yi, who heads Marina’s service centre, challenged Johor DAP chairman Teo Nie Ching’s explanation that Marina was selected because she had the strongest chance of winning in the Malay-majority constituency.

In a statement today, Ong questioned what preparations the party had undertaken in Tiram before considering Marina for the seat.

He asked whether DAP had built a local team, strengthened its grassroots presence and carried out long-term constituency work, or whether the decision was linked to seat-swapping arrangements.

Ong, who is also an Indahpura DAP branch committee member, further claimed Marina had twice been asked to withdraw from contests for positions in the state party committee to make way for former Johor executive councillor Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali.

He said Marina had received grassroots nominations to contest and questioned why she was expected to step aside despite being a branch chief, party member and elected representative at the time.

Ong argued that DAP has long promoted democratic processes and asked why a qualified candidate would be denied the opportunity to contest party elections.

He also questioned how Marina could be described as the party’s strongest candidate for Tiram if she had previously been prevented from competing in internal elections.

Ong alleged Marina had repeatedly been placed in difficult political situations while choosing not to publicly criticise the party.

He also rejected suggestions that Marina was unwilling to contest outside her existing constituency, noting that she had served as coordinator for the Malay-majority Layang-Layang seat several months before the 2022 general election and had been prepared to stand there despite lacking electoral experience.

His remarks came after Marina announced on May 31 that she would not contest in the upcoming state election and would retire from active politics once the Johor state assembly is dissolved.

Ong also questioned DAP’s long-term efforts to expand its support in Malay-majority constituencies, claiming that little follow-up work had been carried out in areas such as Pontian and Mersing after the 2022 general election.

He said Marina was not seeking any position or constituency and had already decided to leave politics and resign from the party after the dissolution of the state assembly.

According to Ong, Marina is not awaiting any decision from the party and intends to return the Skudai seat to DAP.

Following her announcement, Teo said the party had intended to field Marina in another urban constituency as part of a broader strategy to expand beyond its traditional support base.

Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi dissolved the state assembly yesterday, paving the way for the state election.

JOHOR BAHRU, June 1 — Johor DAP has clarified that the party had offered to appoint incumbent Skudai assemblyman Marina Ibrahim to helm a statutory body and not a government-linked company (GLC) as seen in a letter that went viral.

Johor DAP vice-chairman Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali said there is a difference in a statutory body and a GLC.

He said Johor DAP chairman Teo Nie Ching had stated that she offered Marina to lead a statutory body and not a GLC.

“Statutory bodies are established by an Act of Parliament or state enactment to fulfill specific public policy or socio-economic objectives, while a GLC is incorporated under the Companies Act 2016 and the government acts as a majority shareholder.

“In this recent issue, Teo had offered Marina to helm a statutory body that is related to social welfare work.

“This is actually a good fit for Marina who has been passionate and known for her welfare activism over the years.,” he said when contacted by Malay Mail today.

The DAP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) member was responding to criticism that the party is allegedly using positions in GLCs as political tools.

Sheikh Umar said the unnamed statutory body was a right fit for Marina based on her work in welfare activism.

“In fact, the party’s leadership felt Marina would be able to perform well and assist in shaping policy by being appointed to the statutory body.

“The proposed appointment by DAP is not a form of reward that is used to lure or motivate someone to perform a task,” he said, adding that it is normal for DAP to initiate moves that are strategic for the party’s long term.

Meanwhile, Johor Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Aminolhuda Hassan said that such appointments, especially to statutory bodies, was a normal practice for any political parties that are part of the government.

The Johor Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) chief also clarified that for such appointments only eligible and hardworking party members who have promise will be considered.

“Generally, the person being considered will normally be a subject matter expert or have a good knowledge of the field that the statutory body is established under,” he said, adding that statutory bodies, unlike a GLC, are under the purview of the government and not a corporate company.

 

KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 — DAP’s Ong Kian Ming today suggested that local party “warlords” may have been among the factors behind the controversy surrounding Marina Ibrahim’s decision not to defend her Skudai seat in the upcoming state election.

In a lengthy Facebook post, Ong said he believed there were broader considerations behind the proposal for Marina to leave Skudai and contest the more challenging Tiram seat in Pasir Gudang.

“I suspect there were other factors at play including certain ‘warlords’ in Skudai/Iskandar Puteri who wanted the Skudai seat for themselves or someone close to them,” he wrote.

Ong was commenting on the ongoing debate over Marina’s decision after the first-term assemblyman announced last week that she would not seek re-election and was stepping away from frontline politics.

The former Bangi MP also disclosed that Marina was not initially the preferred choice for Skudai when DAP was planning its candidate lineup ahead of the 2022 Johor state election.

According to Ong, there were originally plans to field current Bangi MP Syahredzan Johan in the Iskandar Puteri parliamentary seat, which was expected to be vacated following DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang’s retirement from frontline politics.

Under that arrangement, he said, it would have been difficult for the party to field two Malay candidates — one for Parliament and another for the state seat — within the same area.

He said circumstances changed after he informed party leaders of his intention to vacate the Bangi parliamentary seat in favour of Syahredzan.

“When the party leaders knew of my intention to vacate the Bangi parliament seat, the opportunity to field Marina in Skudai came into the picture,” he said.

Ong also argued that DAP’s practice of moving leaders from safe seats to more challenging constituencies is a long-standing strategy used to expand the party’s reach.

He cited party veterans and leaders including Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, Liew Chin Tong, Nga Kor Ming and Teo Nie Ching as examples of those who left relatively secure seats to contest in more challenging areas.

At the same time, Ong praised Marina for choosing not to engage in internal manoeuvring to retain her seat.

He said the Skudai assemblyman could have delayed announcing her decision until candidate selections were finalised, potentially placing pressure on party leaders to retain her.

“She probably could have gotten her way to remain in Skudai because it would have looked bad on the party to ‘push out’ a young and capable Malay assemblyman.

“But kudos to her for making a principled decision not to contest rather than to leave the party leadership in a difficult position,” he wrote.

Ong also defended Johor DAP chairman Teo Nie Ching, rejecting suggestions that she had acted with ill intent in proposing Marina’s move to Tiram.

“I do not think that Nie Ching bore any malice towards Marina in suggesting that she move to the difficult state seat of Tiram in Pasir Gudang to contest there,” he wrote.

The remarks come after a reported offer of a position in a statutory body to Marina following her decision to leave electoral politics.

Ong defended the proposal, saying such appointments are a common way for former elected representatives to continue serving the public.

He cited several examples, including Johor DAP vice-chairman Sheikh Omar Ali, who chaired the Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board after losing his state seat in 2022 before later being appointed a senator.

Former Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah was also appointed chairman of the Port Klang Authority after stepping aside from electoral politics, he noted.

“I think that the offer for a position on a statutory board to Marina was made with good intentions by Nie Ching. This is a way to ensure that someone like Marina continues to serve the people of Johor and Malaysia in a different capacity,” he said.

Johor DAP has accepted Marina’s decision not to defend Skudai, while Teo has denied claims that Marina was offered a position in a government-linked company, saying discussions instead involved a role in a statutory body focused on welfare matters.

 

JOHOR BARU, June 1 — Skudai assemblyman Marina Ibrahim today rejected claims she was defecting or had been “bought over”, saying her political decisions were made after consulting her closest supporters and stressing her focus was on solving problems rather than constant confrontation.

In a lengthy Facebook post, Marina invoked Sun Tzu’s Art of War to defend her non-confrontational style, arguing that “the best victory is one achieved without fighting”. 

She said politics should be measured by how many problems are resolved for constituents, not by how many disputes are waged. 

“Helping the people cannot wait for election season,” she wrote, describing her approach as “strategic diplomacy” rather than weakness.

Marina added that she believed in supporting government initiatives that benefit her constituency, while offering constructive criticism and solutions when weaknesses were identified. She said her priority was always the welfare of constituents, not political point-scoring.

The post followed controversy over a purported letter, dated May 30, where Marina rejected an offer to contest the Tiram seat and chair a government-linked company (GLC) if she lost.

In a Berita Harian report, Marina said she had shared “the letter” in a Johor DAP WhatsApp group. She did not verify if it was the same document now circulating on social media. 

“I don’t want to think about it now because it gives me a headache. What I want to do is rest so I can wake up tomorrow and continue helping the people,” she was quoted as saying.

The controversy erupted yesterday after Johor DAP chairman Teo Nie Ching revealed details of discussions held with Marina as part of the party’s preparations for the upcoming Johor state election.

In a Facebook post, Teo, who is also Deputy Communications Minister, confirmed talks had taken place on moving Marina to another constituency as part of DAP’s strategy to expand beyond its traditional strongholds. 

“To assure her that the party would stand by her regardless of the Johor State Elections outcome, I also shared my intention to propose her as the Chairman of a statutory body, which I believe she can contribute constructively,” Teo wrote.

The admission sparked online debate, with social media users questioning whether appointments to statutory bodies or GLCs should form part of candidate negotiations.

Earlier, New Straits Times reported that Teo had yet to respond to queries on the proposal or the type of statutory body involved.

The issue gained traction after Teo expressed regret if the discussions had made Marina uncomfortable, fuelling speculation over Marina’s surprise announcement yesterday that she would retire from politics and not defend her Skudai seat in the coming election.