Sam Dastyari still has questions he must answer writes Simon Benson

SAM Dastyari was faced with two choices - ride out the storm or fall on his Jian. In the end, the decision to stand down was entirely his. But it was soon to be taken away from him, writes SIMON BENSON.

• DASTYARI QUITS FRONT BENCH OVER DONOR SCANDAL

SHANGHAI Sam was faced with two choices. He could ride out the storm or fall on his Jian.

In the end, the decision yesterday to stand down from the Labor frontbench was entirely his. But it was a choice that was soon to be taken away from him.

While Bill Shorten was sticking to his word to stand behind him, it was Dastyari’s colleagues in the NSW Right who urged him to consider the damage that he was causing.

Sam Dastyari leaves home this morning to take his children to school after resigning from the front bench. Picture: John Grainger

There was no way the opposition could afford to allow this issue to be dragged into next week, when parliament returns, with the Turnbull government still a rabble.

But in taking the politically correct decision, the 33-year-old former Labor Party boss has left unanswered a long list of legitimate and serious questions about his behaviour.

Such as: Why did he need a company linked to the Chinese Communist Party to pay a $1600 bill for him?

Senator Sam Dastyari holds a press conference at the Commonwealth Parliamentary offices in Sydney to announce his resignation from Labor front bench. Picture: Toby Zerna

Why did he require a Chinese property investor, also with links to the Communist Party, to pay a $40,000 legal bill for him?

And why did he, as a member of the shadow cabinet, seek to subvert Australia’s  policy  toward  the  South   China Sea dispute?

Dastyari spoke to the media in Sydney on Tuesday where he apologised but refused to stand down. Picture: William West

Dastyari, in claiming he had done nothing wrong, has also demonstrated he has no appreciation of the deeper issue behind the “mistake” that has brought him undone.

Dastyari has opened a can of worms on the issue of China’s influence over the Australian political system.

His resignation won’t undo that.