DAP secretary-general Kerk Kim Hock has resigned his party post effective March 28, keeping his word that he would do so if he loses the Kota Melaka in the general election.

Yesterday's vote recount confirmed that the party's hold in the seat since 1969 has finally come to end when Kerk lost to BN/MCA candidate Wong Wai Chee by a mere 219 votes.

Kerk bagged 30,998 votes while Wong polled 31,217 votes.

His defeat was the only black mark in an otherwise successful election outing for the party which won 12 parliament seats in all.

However Kerk's resignation, announced through a media conference in Malacca this afternoon, is yet to be confirmed by party chief Lim Kit Siang.

When contacted about 5.30pm, Lim who was on his way back to Kuala Lumpur from Ipoh said that he had not received Kerk's resignation letter.

"The last I spoke to him was just before the (recount) result (for Kota Melaka) was announced (last night) but not since then," he said.

Kerk could not be reached for comments.

Appeals to stay

Announcing his resignation at the press conference earlier today, Kerk reportedly said he was taking full responsibility for losing the Kota Melaka parliamentary seat to the Barisan Nasional after 35 years of being a DAP bastion.

By resigning, he said, he is also quitting from active politics.

He was also diagnosed with cancer last year and had taken a five-month leave from party duties last April to undergo treatment.

Contacted today, former DAP Youth chief, Lim Guan Eng, said he had spoken to Kerk twice this morning.

"I asked him to reconsider, and I hope he does although he sounded quite firm (regarding his decision to quit)," he said.

"(Given the situation), he appeared to be in good spirits. It is a painful loss and Kerk's decision has made a lot of people unhappy."

DAP Wanita secretary, Teresa Kok, appealed for Kerk to retract his resignation.

"Although it is sad that the party lost its stronghold, I appeal to Kerk not to give up but to continue to lead the party in its struggle for democracy, human rights, justice and good governance," she said in a statement.

New blood

Kok said Kerk has brought many changes to the party throughout his tenure since 1999, such as "successfully (injecting) new blood into the party".

"One of his achievements is to help the Negeri Sembilan DAP win two state seats."

She said he should not be too discouraged by his defeat and that he can still make a comeback in the next election.

Kok also assured Kerk the full support of the party's women's wing, the central executive committee leaders and general members.

Kota Melaka has been held over the years by party bigwigs such as Lim for three terms and his son Guan Eng, also for three terms.

When Guan Eng was unable to defend his seat due to a court conviction, the party fielded Kerk who successfully won the seat and held it for one term.