Time for DAP to revisit old commitments

 If the party is going to sink further into government, it should at least take a few principles with it.

From Charles Santiago

For some reason, I remain quite convinced that DAP delegates will vote to stay in government come Sunday, even if it means walking straight into the wrath of Chinese voters yet again, and then acting surprised when the voters remember.

Having been repeatedly criticised for refusing to call out pertinent issues, perhaps the party could at least do something now to preserve whatever shreds of accountability remain. Not exactly a revolutionary concept, but apparently we are setting the bar quite low.

What I have in mind is simple: DAP should impose conditions for remaining in the government coalition.

This might, for a change, convince the community that the party is actually serious about reforms, rather than merely serious about remaining in government.

After DAP’s poor performance in the last three state elections, it would also be a useful opportunity to demonstrate that the party has noticed the political ground shifting beneath its feet.

And yes, this may even help stem the rapidly dwindling support for the party. Stranger things have happened.

First, DAP should immediately demand that the government make public the Azam Baki report concerning the corporate mafia and MACC.

If transparency is still part of the party’s vocabulary, this would be an excellent opportunity to use the word in a sentence.

Second, the top leadership should lobby for the establishment of a high-level Cabinet committee on Indian affairs to address the issues that have plagued the community for more than six decades.

Third, DAP needs to rediscover workers – particularly women surviving on odd jobs and insecure work. The party should push for an immediate review of the Gig Workers Act to include minimum wage protections and meaningful social protection.

Workers were once a constituency DAP spoke about rather passionately. It might be useful to remember them.

Then there is the small matter of people actually being able to afford to live. Prices are escalating, families are struggling to put food on the table and many are struggling just to pay the rent.

DAP spent decades talking about the cost-of-living crisis. It should therefore insist that the government establish a high-level committee on the cost-of-living crisis, bringing together economists, workers, civil society, businesses and other key stakeholders.

And while we are at it, implement a national school meal programme to tackle malnutrition and stunted growth among children.

These are not particularly radical demands. They are, in fact, the sort of things DAP once championed with considerable enthusiasm but we have since discovered the remarkable ability of political parties to develop selective amnesia.

The fact remains that DAP has gone remarkably quiet on many of the issues it once fought for ferociously, and that silence has come at a considerable cost to its legitimacy.

So, if the party is going to sink further into government, it should at least take a few principles with it.

DAP should also tell the public whether a consensus has been reached with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on these reform demands and, more importantly, what exactly the implementation strategy is.

Otherwise, what exactly are voters being asked to support?

A reform agenda, or simply a government seat with better upholstery? - FMT

Charles Santiago is the former MP for Klang.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.