KLANG, Aug 21 — Embattled DAP leader Ronnie Liu, who is caught in a widening scandal involving issuing of “support letters” for business contracts and other unsavoury allegations, is feeling isolated in Selangor as party leaders shun him.

But the 52-year-old party veteran has vowed to fight on and even contest the state party elections later this year despite admitting to making mistakes and receiving a severe reprimand in the scandal.

He cut a lonely and vulnerable figure at a DAP function Thursday night to honour Everest climbers N. Mohanadas and M. Magendran who were recently made Datuks by the Penang state government.

Party secretary general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng together with other top national and Selangor state leaders attended the event but some of them avoided Liu like a leper.

Liu (picture) came late and alone but as he climbed up the stage, some DAP leaders aligned with Guan Eng were noticeably uncomfortable with him now that two party leaders, veteran Dr Chen Man Hin and Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi have openly urged the Pandamaran assemblyman, for all intent and purposes, to resign largely because his involvement in and handling of the “support letters” controversy has tarnished the party’s image.

“I am the most misunderstood leader in the DAP,” Liu later told The Malaysian Insider in a late night interview at a veteran DAP leader’s house-cum- restaurant in Telok Gong, Klang.

In between slurping porridge Liu, the DAP leader privately regarded as the Taiko of Selangor, the biggest and richest state in the Pakatan Rakyat stable, poured out his heart defending himself against accusations of alleged corrupt practices, his friendship and now acrimony with Selangor DAP leader and Speaker Teng Chang Kim and why he would not resign as demanded by party leaders.

While party strongman Lim Kit Siang and Guan Eng are silent on Liu and the support letters issue, the behaviour of many DAP leaders to avoid him indicate he is being ostracised in the party and is not welcome anymore in the DAP’s inner circle as was the case before the scandal broke.

“Liu would fall on the sword if Kit Siang asked, he was such a loyalist and by extension that loyalty extends to Guan Eng,” a party insider said.

But the question is, are Liu’s days numbered in the DAP? Is his former benefactor Kit Siang and the new power broker Guan Eng turning against him?

“Misunderstood because I tried to solve my problems by myself, I did not burden the party leaders, the party elders. I should have shared the problems and challenges of administration with them, consulted them, kept them, informed.

“I thought I could deal with all matters arising like the support letters. I was over confident,” Liu said as explanation for the way the support letters controversy has turned out.

“I should have shared my burden with others. Now I am being unfairly targeted,” he said. “I am new to power; we all are new to power. We have a steep learning curve. We made mistakes...I made mistakes,” he said.

In various reports, Liu had either said he had signed the letters or that his signature was forged while others like Klang municipal councillor Tee Boon Hock admitted to signing such letters to help people get contracts, including his son. The DAP sacked Tee on Aug 6.

Liu also faced the party disciplinary committee on August 12 but was let off with a reprimand, an unpopular decision going by public comments on the Internet.

The committee saw the “Liu issue” as a case of bad management, not corruption or bad governance and urged him to improve himself.

But Dr Chen and Ooi disagreed and upset by the shift in public perception of the DAP, whose sterling reputation for good governance is tarnished, want Liu to more or less resign to salvage the party image.

Liu however disagreed with the view that he has to resign. He said Ooi is too influenced by Internet comments which are biased and controlled by the DAP’s political enemies, the Barisan Nasional (BN) specifically.

“I know public perception is important but the truth is also important and truth is behind me,” he said. “The truth is I did my best to serve the people, I made mistakes and now I am making amends. No more letters of support,” he said.

“I have said I will improve myself. The disciplinary committee wanted me to improve myself and I am working on it. Give me a chance,” Liu said. “I am a party loyalist, a diehard.”

“I went through hell...no more support letters,” he added.

Liu also refuted allegations as executive committee member for local government that he issued massage parlour licenses, had links with gangsters and had abandoned DAP allies for new friends after coming to power, mostly ex-MCA and Umno people.

“Massage parlour licenses were frozen in 2006 by the previous government and remain frozen. No new license has been issued,” he said adding however licenses for reflexology centres were issued but these are legitimate enterprises.

“There are illegal massage parlours and have no licenses to operate,” he said, dismissing allegations that the reflexology centres were fronts. He also refuted allegations the centres and illegal massage parlours were “protected” and no action is being taken against them.

He blamed political enemies for the many attempts to tarnish his name. “I saw all these coming, I wished I had shared my fears with party leaders but I did not. I thought I could handle it on my own,” he said. “This is my character.”

His relationship with Teng has also soured and they are political rivals now.

“I was instrumental in helping him, advance his career, getting him selected as DAPSY head, assemblyman but now this...he is a rival,” Liu said.

“I joined the party earlier than Teng in 1980,” he added by way of comparison.

The controversy comes at a time when the Selangor DAP, like other states, is holding state DAP committee election and is seeing a major tussle between various faction leaders.

Teng has gathered to his banner all the anti-Liu factions while the pro-Guan Eng factions in the state, of which Liu is a nominal member, is arrayed against him.

Liu said he will definitely contest in the election in December and is aware that leaders are likely to field their menu, or preferred list of candidates.

“I don’t want to say I will field a menu but I will definitely contest in the election,” he said.