KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 31 — DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke today posted a Malay proverb on Facebook shortly after former Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming announced his resignation from the party after 14 years.
“Habis madu, sepah dibuang,” Loke wrote in the brief post.
The proverb, which literally refers to discarding the residue after the honey has been used up, is commonly used to describe a situation in which someone is cast aside after they are no longer considered useful.
Loke did not name anyone or provide further context for the post.
The timing nevertheless drew questions from social media users over whether it was related to Ong’s departure from DAP.
Ong announced earlier today that his resignation from DAP would take effect today, bringing to an end his membership of the party since 2012. He did not give a reason for leaving.
In his resignation announcement, Ong said he had no plans to join another political party in the near future and would not contest the 16th general election.
He said, however, that he remained committed to a pledge made in January to help former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin campaign in GE16 if Khairy is given a seat to contest.
Ong served as Serdang MP from 2013 to 2018 and Bangi MP from 2018 to 2022, and was deputy international trade and industry minister from 2018 to 2020.
He was also an appointed member of DAP’s central executive committee from 2019 to 2022 and served on the party’s Selangor state committee from 2018 to 2024.
His resignation came two weeks after DAP delegates voted overwhelmingly for the party’s ministers and deputy ministers to remain in the federal government until the end of the current parliamentary term.
Ong had been a prominent voice in the debate ahead of the August 16 vote, publicly setting out arguments both for DAP remaining in government and for leaving the Cabinet to increase pressure on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim over promised reforms.
