Loke’s election defeat raises doubts over dual-role strategy

 DAP leaders have traditionally held state and parliamentary seats concurrently, making it necessary for them to divide their time equally between the two.

DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook speaking at a PH campaign event in Kampung Chennah, Jelebu, on July 25. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA:

DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook’s defeat in the Chennah state seat in the Negeri Sembilan election has cast the spotlight on whether senior DAP politicians should continue to hold both parliamentary and state seats at the same time.

Loke is already serving his third term as Seremban MP. In addition, he is transport minister and, until Monday, Negeri Sembilan DAP chief, a post he relinquished to take responsibility for the party’s loss of two state seats.

Loke lost Chennah to MCA’s Siow Kong Choon by 688 votes on Saturday, denying him a fourth consecutive term as its assemblyman. His party colleague Veerapan Superamaniam lost the Repah seat to Koh Kim Swee, also of MCA.

For analyst Asrul Sani, the question is whether fielding “heavyweights” at both levels still delivers the electoral edge it once did.

Asrul Sani.

Asrul, who is associate vice-president at political consultancy The Asia Group, said the broader electoral landscape has shifted since 2018 when there was a genuine “hunger and excitement” for political change.

“Fielding a prominent national leader (back then) could energise voters,” he told FMT.

“(But) after two consecutive PH administrations in Negeri Sembilan and PH’s return to federal power, there is now greater voter fatigue,” he said, attributing the sentiment to what he sees as growing dissatisfaction with the coalition’s performance.

“Seniority and national prominence no longer deliver the same electoral advantage. Instead, it may expose candidates to criticism that they are taking on too much, making them insufficiently focused on local concerns.”

Asrul acknowledged that contesting at both levels still carries a tactical advantage: it gives a party flexibility to deploy a high-profile leader to defend a marginal seat, spearhead a state campaign, and connect local concerns directly to the federal government.

He said this was particularly effective when voters were motivated by the prospect of change and senior opposition leaders enjoyed strong appeal — conditions he argued no longer exist now that PH is the incumbent.

On the other hand, Asrul warned, such politicians may appear overstretched, constituency service can suffer, and younger local leaders are denied the opportunity to build their own electoral base.

“It also concentrates too much political risk in a small number of senior figures. When one of them loses, the party loses not only a seat but also a key campaign anchor.”

Oh Ei Sun.

Oh Ei Sun, principal adviser at the Pacific Research Centre of Malaysia, raised a related — but distinct — concern about the effect of dual candidacies on leadership succession.

Oh said parties naturally prioritise candidates with the best chance of winning, which is why popular leaders are often fielded for both parliamentary and state seats.

But, he pointed out, parties should also groom younger leaders by having senior figures who already hold parliamentary seats relinquish their state seats to make room for newer members to contest.

He said separating the two roles should be the norm, particularly since there are only a handful of dual-role cases within DAP.

“The idea is to develop more future leaders,” he said. “Serving as both a state assemblyman and an MP can be difficult, especially when the two constituencies are not in the same geographical area,” he added. - FMT