DAP must rebuild beyond traditional base for GE16, says Loke

DAP will need to rebuild beyond its traditional support base for the next general election (GE16) while holding on to its core Chinese electorate, its secretary-general, Loke Siew Fook, says.

Loke believes the party can still command about 80% of Chinese voter support, based on the recent state election results, though he acknowledges that “90% is a tall order”.

In an interview with The Straits Times of Singapore, he said DAP will never take Chinese support “for granted”, and noted that Malaysian political reality demands consensus-building among coalition partners, meaning the party’s vision can rarely be realised in full.

“We know sometimes it’s frustrating to be in this kind of situation, but that is the reality of Malaysian politics,” he said in the interview carried out on Oct 1 and published today.

“There is no way for DAP to form a government on its own without working with others. This is a reality we must accept: We can only push as far as possible, relying on objective and persuasive arguments to get things done within the system.”

Asked about the emergence of Bersama, Loke said third forces and idealistic parties rarely sustain momentum in Malaysian politics.

“The most recent example would be Muda,” he said. “They put forward super idealistic objectives, fresh candidates, young people, professionals, and so on.

“But after the election, they are nowhere to be seen.”

However, he said he has not ruled out working with any potential partners, pointing to DAP’s decision to cooperate with Umno following the 2022 general election to form the Anwar Ibrahim-led federal government.

“I don’t close my doors to anyone,” he said. “I hold this belief that we have come to a point that politics has to be agile. Of course, not without any principle or any precondition, because it depends on the circumstances what is best for the country to move forward.”

Loke also did not rule out the possibility of DAP contesting the next federal election on its own rather than as part of PH.

“As much as possible, I want to preserve the PH coalition.

“But again, our electoral strategy needs to be reviewed from time to time. What is the best strategy – not only for DAP, but for our partners as well?

“I can only answer that when Parliament is dissolved,” he said.

Loke also said DAP’s trouncing in the Aug 1 Negeri Sembilan state election is “basically a blessing in disguise for us”.

He said he is confident the Malay unity narrative pushed by Umno and PAS will not be sustainable, pointing to the ongoing royal crisis in the state.

On his decision to resign as the transport minister over Najib Razak’s conditional pardon, and then saying he would only leave after the former prime minister begins serving the remainder of his sentence under house arrest, Loke said: “Of course, people say that it’s an act, political, and so on.

“But I’m sticking my head out – the moment he returns, I have to quit. I am not wishy-washy or dilly-dallying. He goes home. I leave.”

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.