Ramasamy: The neither here nor there July 12 DAP congress is a PR exercise at best

 

WHAT is the purpose of having the DAP party congress in July merely to ask whether the delegates will support the party elected representatives to relinquish their positions in the federal and state governments or not.

The DAP with 40 parliamentary seats – the largest in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition – will decide at the congress whether to remain in their respective positions or resign.

However, as conveyed by the party’s secretary general Anthony Loke Siew Fook, relinquishing their government posts will not mean that elected representatives will not support the government headed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Immaterial of the decision reached by the delegates at the congress, DAP will remain loyal to the government of the day.

My question is simple and straightforward: why stage the DAP congress when the actual decision reached might not have any effect on the party relationship to the federal government or its PH coalition partners?

Wasting time

If the decision taken at the congress will have no bearing on the future performance of the government, then why have it?

What is the point of having the congress if the party cannot translate the views of the grassroots so that the government can take cognisance of them.

Well, if the decision of the congress is not going to affect the federal government, then what is the very purpose of holding it?

After the DAP was given a thrashing by Sabah voters, party leaders urged the federal government to implement reforms.

It was in this context that Loke gave the federal government a six-months timeline to implement the reforms with the main focus being the recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC).

To date, the federal government has not done anything visible to re-assure DAP that reforms are in the offing.  Recognition of the UEC is definitely not in the radar of the government.

I suppose the DAP congress in July is to re-assure the party’s grassroots that the leadership is doing something tangible to address the outstanding issues.

Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy

Soley PR exercise

But unfortunately, even if the outcome is for the DAP elected representatives to quit government positions, the DAP congress might not have any impact on the government.

Knowing very well that DAP would be on side of the government immaterial of the outcome of the congress, there will be no pressure on the part of the Madani government to change or make attempts introduce reforms.

I think DAP leaders are wasting their time and not being honest to the grassroots who want genuine reforms in the country.

I don’t see any impact of the DAP congress on the government if the decision of the delegates will have no bearing on the performance of the government to the extent genuine reforms will be introduced.

The way Loke has presented the details about the congress, it looks like more of a public relations exercise to make it relevant in the anticipation of the coming general and state elections more than anything else. 

 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.