Hew said his decision was final, adding that it was to ensure the smooth operation of MCBC.

“I have spent half my life fighting for the betterment of Malaysia without considering my own interests. Thus, I have fulfilled my mission in promoting the process of democratisation in Malaysia.

“Fortunately, the new Malaysia has an independent judiciary and an increasingly clean political culture.

“However, as for ethnic equality and social freedom, I believe these are far from ideal,” he said in a statement.

Hew quit DAP in 2016 after he sparked controversy by saying that the South China Sea belongs to China.

Early this year, Malaysia’s special envoy to China, Tan Kok Wai named Hew as the CEO of MCBC, a body that promotes ties between Malaysia and China.

Yesterday, Hew was summoned to the Bukit Aman police headquarters over the comic book, “Belt and Road Initiative for Win Winism”.

The book was published by the Asia Comics and Cultural Museum which Hew headed, but sparked outrage after news that thousands of copies had been distributed to school libraries as reference material.