PETALING JAYA: Newly-appointed deputy defence minister Liew Chin Tong should not have accepted his Cabinet post through a Senate appointment, says a DAP veteran.

Speaking to FMT, Dr Boo Cheng Hau said in principle, all DAP members should wait until elections could be held for the Dewan Negara.

"Like (DAP supremo) Lim Kit Siang often said, the Senate had been a deadwood or rubber stamp when BN was in power.

"Chin Tong once also teased an appointed MCA Cabinet member through Senate appointment as a 'backdoor minister', and he should walk his talk and also uphold party principles."


The former Johor DAP chief said the party's stand and principles shouldn't be compromised and that DAP must continue to fight for the size of the Senate to be trimmed and for elections to be held for its members.

"We should wait for Senate elections and forge true reforms like (Pakatan Harapan de facto leader) Anwar Ibrahim, who openly declared he would reject such appointments.

"Liew should learn from Anwar and Lim," he said, adding that the DAP supremo had pushed for an elected senate in the past.

Meanwhile, DAP's former Jelutong MP, Jeff Ooi, also seemed to criticise the DAP strategist's appointment.

"Now, we have to apologise to Koh Tsu Koon for having collectively called him a 'backdoor minister' post-GE12."

Koh, the former Penang chief minister was appointed as a senator and became the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of unity and performance management.

"Deja vu. Now, vanquished PH candidates are made deputy ministers post-GE14. Same same," Ooi said.

Earlier today, MCA deputy president Wee Ka Siong mocked Liew over his appointment, describing it as "karma biting back".

The Ayer Hitam MP was referring to an April 6 Facebook post in which Liew took a swipe at MCA Youth chief Chong Sin Woon, the former deputy education minister in the previous Barisan Nasional administration.

Three months ago, Liew had asked his followers on a social networking site to tell which seat Chong contested for and won in the 13th general election, asking if there was a constituency called "backdoor", in an apparent jibe at Chong.

Apart from Liew, Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy (Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of national unity and social wellbeing), Terengganu Amanah chairman Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah (deputy housing and local government Minister), PPBM's Mohd Radzi Md Jidin (deputy economic affairs minister) and Marzuki Yahya (deputy foreign affairs minister) were also appointed to the Cabinet after they were made senators.

When contacted by FMT, Liew declined to comment.