Kota Kinabalu MP Hiew King Cheu has denied in an email to Malaysiakini that he ever sent out an urgent appeal under sabahdap@hotmail.com for funds to return home from the United Kingdom where he was purportedly stranded.

“Please be informed that an email sent to you a few days ago, mentioning about Dr Hiew being in the UK is a fake,” reads a brief email sent on Hiew’s behalf yesterday from a Sabah DAP staffer identified only as Adeline from sabahdap@hotmail.com. “Dr Hiew is attending Parliament (in Kuala Lumpur) at the moment.”

Hiew confirmed that the email from Adeline was indeed from his party and acting on his instructions. He wanted to know why he was being queried on the matter, and understood when it was pointed out to him that both the email from Adeline and the earlier bogus one, used the same email address.
 
The suspect email sent to Malaysiakini last Sunday from a ‘Hiew Cheu’, says that he is currently stranded in Oldham, United Kingdom after leaving behind a little bag with money and important documents the day earlier in a taxi.

“Now, I am finding it really difficult here. I need you to loan me 2700 pounds urgently to help me settle my hotel bills and fly back home. I have been to the embassy and also the police station. They are currently looking into my case.”

The email indicated he would appreciate any amount and wanted it sent to him via Western Union to an address given as: 45 West Street, Oldham, OL1 1 XJ, United Kingdom.

It could not be immediately confirmed whether the Kota Kinabalu MP has since lodged a police report on the matter. He did not respond to a text message query on the matter.

Sabah DAP medical and health bureau chief Dr Felix Chong confirmed that the party’s email address account had been hacked.

He advised that the sabahdap@yahoo.com email address account be used instead for communication.

He was not sure why Adeline did not use the sabahdap@yahoo.com email address account to issue the denial. He opined that it may be because the email addresses of the recipients of Adeline's email was in Sabah DAP's hotmail account.

Public spats

Lately, Hiew has been involved in a series of public spats with the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) on various issues.

One issue is the Kota Kinabalu MP’s insistence that he be addressed as “doctor” besides the usual YB (Yang Berhormat or His Excellency).

This has not gone down well with SAPP leaders. Hiew is a mechanical engineer by training. He has a doctorate in business gained some years ago from a foreign university whose authenticity has been challenged.  

Also the MP has since challenged SAPP legislators several times to vacate their seats to pave the way for by-elections to prove that the incumbents really had the support of the people.

He does not acknowledge that the incumbents would be barred from offering themselves for re-election for five years or one term if they really took his advice. SAPP has pointed this out several times.

Hiew first saw red several months ago when SAPP leaders alleged that the Kota Kinabalu MP “never opens his mouth in Parliament” but is very vocal back in Sabah.

Hiew is a regular feature in local newspapers, complete with photographs standing with other Sabah DAP leaders, pointing at something floating in a drain nearby or highlighting the condition of the roads and other matters allegedly neglected by the city fathers.

This has been the butt of several jokes lately in the letters section of local newspapers. Hiew has issued press statements hitting back at the anonymous writers.

Hiew also hit the roof when it was suggested by SAPP leaders that he would not have won his parliamentary seat had it not been for the party’s help.

He won by a razor-thin 106 votes in a four-cornered fight.
 
SAPP was then in the ruling BN. It pulled out in Sept 2008 in the wake of the move by de facto PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim to seize the reins of power in Putrajaya through a defection of 30-odd legislators from the BN, which failed to materialise.

Hiew’s current stand is that SAPP must be considered an “enemy” since the Sabah-based party refuses to join Pakatan Rakyat, the opposition alliance in which DAP is a member.

Against seat concessions

Hence, he’s against Pakatan conceding any seats to SAPP to forge a one-to-one battle against the BN in the forthcoming general election.

He has also implied that it was possible that SAPP would indulge in ‘reverse frogging’ and return to the BN after picking up as many seats as possible in the next general elections.

One reason for this Sabah DAP line is that a corruption case is still hanging over SAPP president Yong Teck Lee’s head.

Kota Kinabalu itself has apparently become too hot for Hiew to handle of late and there are reliable reports that he would move to Sandakan and leave his present seat to Dr Felix Chong.

Dr Chong is a former director of two government hospitals. He resigned over the issue of illegal immigrants with MyKads seeking treatment at the taxpayers’ expense.