SO DAP’s secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook has given Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim six months to bring about reforms, if not the party will have to make a decision.
At the same time – afraid that the warning might be taken differently – he even promised that DAP would support Anwar’s Madani government and if possible, render it a helping hand to go for another term.
However, if there are no tangible signs of reform in six months, it is unclear what action DAP will take as Loke is fully aware that the timeline is too short for any positive sign to emerge.
Whether DAP with its 40 MPs might support the government from being ousted remains unclear. I doubt being in the government for more than three years, the party will go back to the backbench.
Loke in giving the six-month ultimatum to Anwar made sure that it was not misinterpreted to the detriment of DAP. This was the reason he quickly qualified his ultimatum with an assurance that the party will not desert the government in power.
He knew very well that if DAP withdraws support, sure the government might fall without realising that Anwar might have alternative plans.
High hopes backfiring?
However, unknown to Loke, there is possibility that Anwar might make other arrangements to secure political support.
Loke forgets that the old friendship between UMNO and PAS could be invoked to bring in PAS to replace DAP.
Once DAP is out of the power equation, the party might die sooner than later.
However, Loke was wise enough to have moderated his statements about giving the government six months to implement the reforms.
He himself alluded to the fact that six months might not be enough for the government to bring the required changes to the satisfaction of DAP.
Loke might think that DAP can pile the pressure on Anwar but the latter knows very well the limits to what DAP can or cannot do.
Maybe Loke’s concern of losing support among the Chinese after the party’s disastrous performance in Sabah was responsible for his present state of mind.
Unlike his predecessor Lim Guan Eng, Loke is not a fighter but a party bureaucrat. He rose up from the rank and file through loyalty and dedication. He lacks the fighting abilities of his predecessors.
‘Loke lacks fighting skill’
He is more an implementor of government policies rather than person who can politically chart the future course of DAP. His obsequious compliance to Anwar is well-known.
Anwar’s government has miserably failed on its promised reforms even before the 17th Sabah state election.
Anwar is interested in anything but reforms. The rhetoric of reforms was meant to catapult him to power more than anything else.
What was DAP doing all these three years? What is the role of Loke in steering the party out of the present decadent doldrum politics? It is not that Loke suddenly realised that reforms are not there.
It is obvious that DAP cannot make demands on the government for reforms as long as Loke is leading the party. He lacks the political credentials especially the fighting skills of the earlier leaders.
Loke has reduced the party that once stood for fighting and defiance to an organisation that is composed of leaders who value compliance more than anything else. In a cruder sense, DAP is a cog in the political machinery of the Madani government.
Power, positions and perks (3Rs) have blinded the party leaders in fighting for better Malaysia. Political wilderness in the past kept the party surging forward. The reverse is true now.
‘DAP needs overhaul’
Today, sadly, the maintenance of these attributes has become the sole preoccupation of the party under Loke.
Loke forgets that the ability to influence the government is not just dependent on its electoral strength of 40 MPs but whether the party is willing to allow for political change within the party as part of the larger effort to pressure the government.
Loke does not understand that pressuring the government cannot be based on carefully worded statements that seek to assuage Anwar.
Internal changes within the DAP are crucial to establish its relevance in the fast-changing political scenario.
In this regard, either Loke resigns or he should be removed by party members. Loke is an albatross around the neck of DAP.
The party must return back to its heyday of being the political vehicle of a better future for all Malaysians.
DAP members wishing for change must realise there is nothing more dangerous than being in power without understanding the consequences.
It must be remembered that MCA and MIC were rendered weak because the two component Barisan Nasional (BN) political parties lacked the electoral strength.
But in the case of DAP, it is politically impotent even with the electoral strength of 40 MPs in the Parliament and five ministerial positions.
Former DAP stalwart and Penang deputy chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
- Focus Malaysia.
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