KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 16): The Democratic Action Party (DAP) will remain steadfast in its commitment to being a multiracial party that represents all Malaysians despite a series of electoral setbacks, its secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook said.
Delivering his keynote speech at the party’s congress on Sunday, Loke said DAP must accept the challenges it faces, including the need to break through racial barriers and demonstrate that the party could gain support beyond its traditional areas of strength.
He stressed that DAP had never adopted an approach of being hostile towards any particular community throughout its 60-year history, despite facing various allegations against the party.
“Those are the challenges in our political struggle. We must continue working to break down these racial barriers,” he said.
DAP has faced a series of electoral setbacks in recent state elections, including in Sabah, Johor and the recently concluded Negeri Sembilan polls.
This included Loke’s defeat in Chennah, a seat he had held for three terms, where he lost to MCA by 688 votes.
Several Pakatan Harapan leaders, of which DAP is a component party, have attributed the coalition’s dismal performance to identity politics, amid accusations from Malay-centric opponents that DAP is anti-Malay.
Loke on Sunday apologised to party delegates over his failure to retain Chennah, but said the defeat should not deter the party from pursuing its multiracial agenda.
Loke said he had chosen to contest the Malay-majority constituency despite it being a difficult seat, with the hope of proving that DAP could win support from voters of various ethnic backgrounds.
“Unfortunately, this mission was not successful. As secretary-general, I am deeply saddened that we could not retain Chennah and I apologise to the delegates for this failure,” he said.
Nevertheless, Loke said the defeat in Chennah, together with the party’s losses in several recent state elections, should not become an obstacle to its future progress.
He urged party delegates to draw inspiration from the setbacks and remain committed to DAP’s goal of becoming a truly multiracial party.
“We shall never give up. This is what we must carry out. We cannot give up on building a multiracial party,” he said.