Satees said he sent his resignation letter to DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook earlier today, describing it as “one of the hardest decisions” he has ever made.
He told a news conference he had chosen to leave the party and contest as an independent to fight against the actions of “someone” who was behaving like an “emperor”.
Maintaining that he still loved the party, Satees said he believed DAP could still move in the right direction if the “emperor” was removed.
“My friends in DAP, I don’t hate you, (and) I hope you don’t hate me because this is not my fight against the party or friends, just against this one ’emperor’,” he said.
“This is the time to send a message to the people of Penang, that the state does not belong to him (the ’emperor’). Penang belongs to the people of Penang.”
Satees also stressed that his actions were not an endorsement for voters to choose Perikatan Nasional (PN).
“I will not join PN, let me make it very clear. I’m an independent force, I’m a third force, and I think we can make a change.
“We should reject PN’s extremism, but we should also reject the kind of people who think they can do whatever they want with their power,” he said.
On Wednesday, Satees claimed the “emperor” was given full rights to decide on DAP’s candidates for the polls, and that the reason several former assemblymen were dropped was due to the individual’s desire to control Penang.
Earlier, DAP announced 19 candidates for the state election, with seven former assemblymen dropped, including five executive councillors in the caretaker state government.
Satees claimed that except for one former assemblyman dropping out for health reasons, he and the five others were not fielded as they were not in the same camp as the “emperor”.
He also claimed they were dropped for being outspoken in supporting incumbent chief minister Chow Kon Yeow, who Satees pledged to support should he win the Bagan Dalam seat.
Satees also said he had advised other DAP members in his team not to leave the party, as it would only serve to strengthen the “emperor’s” faction.
On Wednesday, David Marshel, who resigned as Seberang Perai city councillor and DAP member, claimed that many disgruntled members would leave the party to protest against its treatment of caretaker deputy chief minister P Ramasamy.
Ramasamy was the assemblyman for Perai for three terms from 2008. On Tuesday, DAP named S Sundarajoo, a former chief operating officer of property developer Eco World Sdn Bhd, as the party’s candidate for the seat.