KUALA LUMPUR (March 17): DAP now chooses to express its stance "strategically" on contentious issues rather than voicing them publicly after becoming part of the ruling coalition, said its secretary general Anthony Loke.

Speaking at DAP’s 18th national congress, Loke cited last year’s proposed constitutional amendment to citizenship laws as an example of how the party handled the party’s opposition to a clause that initially aimed to remove automatic citizenship for foundlings and abandoned children.

The clause had not only been opposed by civil society groups for its "inhumane” nature, but also Members of Parliament (MPs) from DAP and other parties within the ruling coalition.

A meeting of DAP’s central executive committee and the party’s MPs was called in March 2024, asking them to cast their votes in a secret ballot before the proposed law change was scheduled to be tabled in Parliament the next day, Loke recalled. Only four DAP MPs supported the amendment, while the rest opposed it.

Loke said he told the MPs that he respected their freedom to vote and would not force them to go against their conscience.

"I told them that if I failed to convince the prime minister, I would resign as a minister the next day and allow our MPs to break ranks and vote according to their conscience," he said.

Loke said he did not threaten to resign or withdraw DAP’s support when he met Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. “I simply said, ‘Datuk Seri, can you reconsider this amendment? Many MPs disagree with it.’” he explained.

The Prime Minister then asked Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail whether the amendment to a law that has been in place for decades, was crucial, Loke said. Anwar himself thought that the clause should be reconsidered from a humanitarian perspective, he noted.

“In less than 15 minutes, he agreed to ask the home minister to postpone the amendment,” Loke said.

Eventually, the proposed amendment to remove foundlings’ automatic right to Malaysian citizenship was dropped from the bill, which was finally passed in Parliament in October last year.

Loke said he shared this story to highlight that DAP would not compromise its principles for positions and that he was prepared to resign if the party’s central executive committee members or MPs opposed the government's stance and he was unable to change it.

He also described Anwar as a "democrat" who is willing to listen to differing opinions but stressed that engaging with the prime minister requires both skill and diplomacy.

"Most importantly, we find solutions for every issue — there is no issue we cannot resolve,” he said. “From my 28 months of experience in government, no matter how hot-button the issue is, once it is brought to the cabinet, there is always a resolution.”

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