I will abide by DAP congress decision on whether to stay in govt, says Loke

 The DAP secretary-general says he prefers the party to stay in the government but he needs the backing of members to 'continue this journey'.

DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook said DAP members unhappy with the party’s role in the government must be prepared for the party to return to the backbench.

PETALING JAYA:

DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook says while he wants the party to remain in the federal government, he will accept whatever decision delegates make at the party’s congress on Aug 16.

“I want to defend this government. I want to defend the party’s role in the government. But I need the mandate of the members to continue this journey,” he said in an interview with BFM 89.9’s Sharaad Kuttan.

Loke said the matter would be decided through a secret ballot involving between 3,000 and 4,000 delegates, and he would respect the outcome even if they rejected the position preferred by the party leadership.

However, he said, DAP members could not expect the party’s leaders to behave as they did in the opposition while continuing to hold positions in the government.

Loke, who is also the transport minister, said DAP members unhappy with the party’s role in the government and who wanted its leaders to be as outspoken as before, must be prepared for the party to return to the backbench.

“In the government, our duty is to govern, deliver, and ensure that we can keep this country moving forward. The roles we play in the opposition and government are definitely different,” he said.

Negeri Sembilan polls’ outcome will influence delegates

Loke said the results of the Negeri Sembilan state election on Aug 1 would also influence the direction delegates take at the congress.

He also defended the decision to dissolve the Negeri Sembilan legislative assembly, saying the PH-led state government had little choice as it controlled only 17 of the 36 seats.

“If we had waited for another couple of months, we would have been defeated during the budget vote,” he said.

He also said DAP’s decision to work with Barisan Nasional after the 2022 general election was made collectively by all its MPs, who agreed that it was necessary to prevent Perikatan Nasional from taking over Putrajaya. - FMT