A Liberal MP has tearfully revealed she was “blindsided by fear” amid a far-right threat to her preselection, as she stood up in Parliament to expose the ugly side of internal Liberal Party infighting.
In extraordinary scenes in State Parliament, Liberal MLC Jing Lee revealed she was “put into a compromising situation” and feared for her preselection, which led her to renege on a deal with her sick colleague just minutes before a vote about abortion.
“I wasn’t thinking clearly, and I was put into a compromising situation. I made an unthinkable decision under pressure because I had a grave concern about my Upper House preselection,” she told Parliament.
“As I’ve never experienced anything like it before, I went into a panic mode and my mind went blank and was blindsided by fear.”
“It was a horrible experience for me, and I hope no other members of parliament should ever have to go through this type of ordeal.”
Jing Lee did not name who within the Liberal Party was behind this intimidation, which she says left her feeling “very vulnerable”.
During the previous sitting week, Jing Lee sensationally backed out of a pairing deal with her Liberal colleague Michelle Lensink, who has breast cancer, just minutes before a vote on controversial abortion legislation.
This forced Ms Lensink and her young son to get in an Uber to make a last-minute dash to Parliament.
Under pairing arrangements, when an MP is absent, an MP with opposing views will agree to sit out the vote so the absence does not affect the outcome.
Jing Lee’s last-minute decision to renege on the deal almost flipped the outcome of the vote.
The Liberal Party has been besieged by internal infighting, with the far-right taking over key leadership positions and wreaking internal havoc behind the scenes.
As put by Susan Close
Jing Lee has exposed the culture of fear and intimidation within the SA Liberal Party.
Will Vincent Tarzia stand up to the far-right in the Liberal Party? Or are they now calling the shots?
Does Vincent Tarzia know who within the Liberal Party was behind this intimidating behaviour which led to one of his colleagues being “blindsided by fear” and going into “panic mode”?
The SA Liberals are a shambles – more interested in fighting each other than fighting for South Australians.
