Will DAP Youth choose the idealistic or pragmatic path?

The national DAP Youth wing elections tomorrow will see a clash between two teams with distinctly different ideological positions for the wing's top two posts.

One team is led by Chow Yu Hui and his running mate Chiong Yoke Kong, who party insiders have described as a duo who wants the party to remain steadfast in its "Malaysian Malaysia" beliefs.

"Malaysian Malaysia" was a term coined in 1965 and, along with DAP's "Setapak Declaration 1967", has often been used to describe the party's agenda for equality for all Malaysians.

Although DAP has softened its rhetoric on bumiputera preferential treatment over the past two decades, Chow and Chiong are seen by party insiders as the torchbearers of the party's founding principles.

The Pahang-based duo were among the rare DAP personalities to have openly supported Putrajaya's original plans to ratify the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd).

A supporter of Chow (left in photo) and Chiong (right in photo) told Malaysiakini that DAP was founded 52 years ago upon the need for equality, but in recent years the party has been losing sight of that objective.

"Now, it is difficult for us to speak on basic concepts such as our support for Icerd. We want our party's policies to be based on fairness and equality," he said.

Looking at the big picture

Chow and Chiong will be facing the team of Howard Lee and Phoong Jin Zhe, who have been described within the party as a team that emphasises the current "big picture" over the party's founding principles.

Supporters of the duo believe that they are more inclusive and "Malaysian" in outlook. Lee hails from Perak while Phoong (photo) is from Sabah.

Lee is an atypical DAP figure. He speaks fluent Malay and often engages Pakatan Harapan colleagues of different ethnic groups. He is also credited for his role in setting up DAP's "Sekolah Demokrasi" and recruiting Malay members.

"As a member of the Perak cabinet, Lee (photo) enjoys a cordial relationship with Perak Menteri Besar Faizal Azumu and Bersatu.

"Sometimes, people say he doesn't do enough for the Chinese community. But when it comes to interethnic issues, he can help DAP close the gap," said a supporter of the Lee and Phoong pairing.

A supporter of the Chow-Chiong combination said that while Lee's proven ability to handle matters through internal discussions was important, DAP's ideals should not be forgotten.

"In the past, MCA always relied on internal negotiations. In the end, the damage to the party was self-inflicted.

"Now that DAP is part of the federal government, we need to elect idealists to be the internal opposition," said the source.

DAP Youth's national congress and elections will take place tomorrow.  - Mkini