DAP stands firm on incumbent principle for seat allocation – Loke

 

DAP remains firm in its stance of defending the principle of contesting seats previously won as the main basis for seat allocation in political cooperation for upcoming elections.

Its secretary-general, Anthony Loke, said the incumbent principle remained the party’s guiding approach to ensure that cooperation within any political coalition is carried out fairly and transparently.

“If we are cooperating as a coalition, seat allocation must be based on the incumbent principle because we made sacrifices in the last state election.

“We gave up the Dusun Tua state seat, which was won by DAP, to Umno, and that clearly proves DAP’s sincerity,” he told a media conference after the Selangor DAP Convention 2025 in Klang today.

He said the sacrifice should be understood as clear evidence of DAP’s commitment to making political cooperation with its coalition partners a success.

Selangor DAP convention

The transport minister said it was unreasonable for any party to continue claiming that DAP had never cooperated, given that the sacrifice was made openly.

Loke, who is also Seremban MP, said DAP had been transparent about its cooperation with Umno within the Pakatan Harapan-BN government framework, including the approach taken towards party supporters.

He said DAP had also campaigned for Umno candidates during the by-elections as part of its commitment to the cooperation.

“That is why I remind all parties not to deceive themselves or the voters,” he said.

In a separate development, Loke, in his speech officiating the convention, denied the existence of any internal factions within DAP and stressed that the party operates as a united team under a single leadership.

He also reiterated that DAP was not established to be hostile towards any party, but to bring benefits to all for the progress of the nation.

- Bernama