Let history judge me, says Loke on DAP's only four minister posts

DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke said he will shoulder the responsibility after supporters expressed their dissatisfaction that the party was given only four minister posts in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's 28-member cabinet.

This was despite the party winning the most number of seats under Pakatan Harapan in the 15th general election and was instrumental in getting the support of GPS by apologising to the Sarawak premier over any offending statement by party leaders.

In a live-streaming interview conducted by DAP mouthpiece’s The Rocket last night, Loke (above) said he made the right call and will leave it to history to judge him.

He also revealed that he was under huge pressure as he was trying his best to make Anwar the prime minister.

"Now I have only spoken for 10 minutes and it sounds exciting. Just imagine the pressure I faced between Nov 19 and 24. It was like no way out as many things cannot be done. We tried to form a government and get Anwar to swear in as the prime minister.”

In order to break a deadlock, Loke, who is now the transport minister, said he flew to Sarawak to apologise to Abang Johari Openg as suggested by DAP parliamentary leader Nga Kor Ming.

"I hope everyone can understand the helplessness faced by us in the process. I know that many supporters were worried that we could not form a government and that PN would come to power. This is the last thing every one of us wanted to see.

"So, we must succeed and explore all options, even to the extent we were wronged, I must be ready to make this move to show our sincerity," he added.

Correct decision

Loke reiterated that DAP gave unconditional support to Anwar as the prime minister and the party cannot backtrack and ask for more ministerial posts.

"Even though we only have four ministers, we are part of the federal government. What will happen if we did not allow cooperation and work hard to form a unity government?

"This is my answer. I can't say much, but it is my judgement. As the party secretary-general, I shoulder the historical responsibility. I let history judge me.

"It is useless for me to say much. I am only saying I think this was a correct decision," he added.

In the cabinet line-up unveiled by Anwar last Friday, DAP, which won 40 parliamentary seats out of a total of 82 won by Harapan, was only given four minister posts.

This prompted Penang DAP chairperson Chow Kon Yeow to lament that the party received fewer cabinet positions although it had won more parliamentary seats compared to other political parties.

In an attempt to appease party supporters, Loke on Dec 3 spoke of the challenges faced in the formation of the unity government.

The recently concluded GE15 saw Loke, who took over the party leadership from Lim Guan Eng in March, leading DAP into a battlefield for the first time. - Mkini