Rival DAP leaders contesting party polls speak of balancing support and criticism of Anwar govt

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SHAH ALAM: Two top leaders of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) vying for positions in crucial party polls on Sunday (Mar 16) pledged their unwavering support to Anwar Ibrahim as Malaysia’s prime minister but at the same time said that DAP would not be silenced on critical issues. 

At their national congress on Sunday before a crucial vote of the party’s top decision-making authority taking place, both its chairman Lim Guan Eng and party secretary-general Anthony Loke said that they were also accountable to those who voted them into power.     

Lim told the congress that DAP was proud that it helped Anwar become Malaysia’s 10th prime minister and would continue supporting him but stressed that DAP was not a “yes-man party”.

“DAP is only a yes-man to our voters and the people of Malaysia,” said Lim, 64.

Meanwhile, Loke spoke of how with the DAP now part of the Anwar administration, its party leaders have to be “respectful” when voicing any opposition to government policies.

Also present at the congress on Sunday was Anwar and leaders of other parties of the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition which DAP is a part of.

This year’s DAP congress is keenly watched for its election of a central executive committee (CEC) that serves as the party’s top decision-making authority.

The party poll pits the Lim political dynasty with younger leaders such as Loke. 

Lim was previously finance minister but currently holds no position in Anwar’s government. His father Lim Kit Siang was the party’s secretary-general for 30 years and then chairman for another five before retiring from politics in 2022. 

CNA previously reported that the younger DAP leaders are demanding a greater say in its future amid criticism of political favouritism in the party rank-and-file. 

At the same time, there is a perception that under Loke’s leadership as secretary-general of DAP, the party has become less outspoken and, according to frustrated DAP politicians, more comfortable to play a subservient role in government.

Factions aligned to Lim Guan Eng argue that he should be allowed to play a prominent role in the party because he remains the only DAP leader willing to speak out about the shortcomings in government and other issues.

In November of last year, Lim Guan Eng had questioned the education ministry’s decision to host officials from the Afghanistan government. 

In February of last year, he had criticised the Gurney Bay project in Penang, saying that it was of shoddy quality and that the government should not be protecting errant contractors and civil servants who failed to do their work.   

At the DAP congress on Sunday, he said he hoped that the government would provide additional financial assistance to businesses affected by American president Donald Trump’s tariffs as well as postpone or delay some financial policies that would impose extra monetary burdens.

“We commend the political and institutional reforms that have been implemented by Anwar’s government this year. We hope that economic reforms will be included and accelerated this year to repay our voters’ trust that PH will make Malaysia better for our children,” he said.

In his speech on Sunday, Loke said he was aware that there were critics who claimed that since being given ministerial positions, DAP leaders did not dare voice out their opinions on pressing issues.   

Loke, 47, however said that the party had to do things in a different way compared to when it was in the opposition.

“Today, we are in the government. We are not just DAP leaders but political leaders. There are ways to voice out (our concerns), whether through discussions, dialogues and meetings,” he said.

He added that DAP leaders could not threaten the prime minister if they disagreed with any policy.

“The prime minister is a democrat, he will listen to arguments and opinions. When you speak with the prime minister it has to be with skill and art. You have to be respectful when presenting your opinion.

“We are not in the opposition where we can threaten the prime minister and the government. Today, we are in the same ship, and he is our captain,” said Loke.

He also said that DAP wanted the government to push for a 10-year limit to a prime minister’s term in office, as well as the separation of the attorney-general’s chambers and the public prosecutors’ office. 

Addressing the DAP congress, Anwar backed the 10-year limit proposal but said that it needed the two-thirds approval of the parliament. 

“It has only been two years and I’m already exhausted. I don’t think I would get past 10 years,” he said. 

Anwar however cautioned that reforms would need time and that they could not be rushed. 

“Among those who are pro-reforms, there are those who are impatient. But these reforms will not succeed if done in haste,” he said.  

PARTY POLLS

A total of 70 candidates had submitted their names at first for the CEC contest, but six of them pulled out at the last minute on Saturday.

The remaining 64 candidates, including Loke and Lim Guan Eng, are vying for 30 positions. 

Voting will close at 3.30pm, with the results expected in the evening.    

Some 4,203 delegates from 1,650 branches are eligible to participate in the vote for the CEC. The CEC members will then separately cast their vote for leadership positions with three-year terms.

In his speech, Lim Guan Eng said that this year’s congress has attracted a lot of media attention because a new leadership will be elected.

“Winning or losing is normal in any contest and we must place our faith in the wisdom of our delegates,” he said.

Earlier he told the local media that he was happy to see an increased participation in this year’s party congress and the achievement is contributed by everyone’s efforts.

“Seeing an increase in our representatives is gratifying. It hasn’t been an easy journey,” he was quoted as saying by the News Straits Times.

While the secretary-general is the most powerful position in the party, the DAP chairman wields clout because that person leads a panel of leaders who determine candidates that will stand under the party’s ticket in the national polls and state assembly elections.

With control of 40 parliamentary seats in the 222-member lower house, the party is the second-largest after the opposition right-wing Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), with 43 elected representatives. Anwar’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has 31 seats in parliament.

DAP also has 90 seats in the various state assemblies in the country. 

DAP is part of the PH coalition together with PKR, Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) and the United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation.   

PKR and PAS will also be holding internal party polls in May and September, respectively, but both contests are expected to be tame affairs compared to the intensity gripping the DAP elections.

Political analysts and party leaders noted that a divided DAP would create its own set of challenges for Anwar, who has been squeezed in a tightrope walk of juggling the interests of four ideologically diverse political coalitions, comprising more than a dozen parties, in his unity government since assuming the premiership in November 2022.

Multi-racial in outlook but predominantly Chinese in composition, the DAP draws much of its support from urban voters in big towns and cities across Malaysia.