GE16 the real test for unity govt, says Chin Tong

 

Liew Chin Tong making his final address as Johor DAP chief at the party’s state annual convention today. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: 

The next general election (GE16) is shaping up to be the real test of the unity government and efforts must be made to convince Malaysians that DAP members and supporters are all nation builders, says DAP’s Liew Chin Tong.

He said GE16 would test the unity coalition’s ability to establish a new political order in Malaysia for the sake of building a stronger and more stable nation.

Speaking at Johor DAP’s annual meeting today, he said: 

We must convince our members, activists, supporters and Malaysians that we are all nation builders. We must plant this thought in the minds of every Malaysian and Johor nation.

Liew, who is DAP deputy secretary-general, was making his final speech as Johor DAP chief. He made way for Teo Nie Ching, who became the first woman to head the state party.

He urged Johor DAP to prepare for legislative elections from April 2026, as the state assembly’s term will expire in April 2027 and Parliament’s term in December that year.

Liew, who is MP for Iskandar Puteri, said the question in previous elections had been 

Can Anwar survive

, referring to Anwar Ibrahim, who heads the coalition government formed after the 2022 general election resulted in a hung Parliament.

But now things have improved. The question we want to know now is: Will Anwar win GE16?

 Liew said. 

To ensure we can build on what we have now, everyone here holds the responsibility of ensuring that the unity government led by Anwar wins GE16.

Liew said previous elections had been three-way contests between the main political groupings of Pakatan Harapan, Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional.

PH and BN, formerly bitter rivals, are now part of the unity coalition led by Anwar. The battles ahead would be one-on-one with PN, Liew said, pointing to last month’s victory in the Mahkota by-election in Johor as proof that head-on competition with PN would benefit the unity coalition at the elections. - FMT