Negeri Sembilan, Selangor DAP want Loke to stay on despite polls defeat

 The state chapters have backed secretary-general Loke Siew Fook to continue leading the party at the state and national levels.

DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook’s defeat in Chennah was among the biggest upsets in the Negeri Sembilan state election.

PETALING JAYA:

Two DAP state chapters have rallied behind secretary-general Loke Siew Fook, backing him to remain as the party’s Negeri Sembilan chairman and continue leading it nationally despite his defeat in Chennah in the state election yesterday.

The Negeri Sembilan chapter said Loke should not be held responsible for the party’s defeats in two seats which the party had won in the last state polls, namely Chennah and Repah.

Meanwhile, Selangor DAP said his continued leadership was vital to maintaining stability and restoring public confidence in Pakatan Harapan.

Cha Kee Chin.

Negeri Sembilan DAP secretary Cha Kee Chin said the state committee was unanimous in wanting Loke to continue leading the chapter.

“Loke’s leadership has been proven and recognised as the best in Negeri Sembilan DAP’s history,” he said in a Facebook post today.

“From having just two seats in 2004, he has led the state chapter to become a party respected by both allies and opponents.”

The Rasah MP also said the state chapter would need Loke’s leadership to navigate future political challenges and prepare for the 16th general election after Pakatan Harapan lost its majority in the Negeri Sembilan legislative assembly.

He said an initial analysis of the election results showed that PH and DAP candidates continued to enjoy strong support from their supporters despite what he described as the opposition’s racial rhetoric in the election campaign.

DAP retained nine of its 11 seats in the state election, while Chennah and Repah fell to Barisan Nasional’s MCA.

Loke’s defeat in Chennah was among the biggest upsets of yesterday’s election. He lost the seat he had held since 2013 to MCA’s Siow Kong Choon by a 688-vote majority.

PH also saw its number of seats fall from 17 to 11, with PKR winning the other two seats for the coalition. Amanah won none.

Ng Sze Han.

Meanwhile, Selangor DAP chairman Ng Sze Han said the state chapter would stand firmly with its Negeri Sembilan counterpart and work with the party’s central leadership to assess the results and identify areas for improvement.

Ng said the contest in Chennah had been particularly intense and praised Loke for taking responsibility by personally defending the seat.

“Loke demonstrated the credibility of a leader who was willing to shoulder the responsibility of defending the Chennah state seat himself,” he said in a statement. - FMT