Low congress turnout signals doubt in DAP leadership, say analysts

 Azmi Hassan and Chin Yee Mun say the low turnout reflects a lack of confidence in the DAP leadership although Lau Zhe Wei disagrees.

DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook said the turnout at the special congress last Sunday was considered high as attendance during party elections usually only reached about 70%.

PETALING JAYA:

Political analysts say the low turnout of delegates at DAP’s recent special congress should set alarm bells ringing in the party as it signals a lack of confidence in its leadership.

Azmi Hassan.

Though a turnout of roughly 50% could be deemed high under ordinary circumstances, Akademi Nusantara’s Azmi Hassan said this was no normal event as delegates were there to vote on the future of DAP and even that of the country’s political environment.

“Everyone, even those outside DAP, knew how critical this congress was. So for half (of the delegates) not to turn up indicates that something isn’t quite right in the party itself.

“I don’t think (the decision to remain in the government) really reflects what its grassroots want. But the low turnout definitely reflects a lack of confidence in DAP as a party and in its leadership,” Azmi told FMT.

Chin Yee Mun.

Chin Yee Mun of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman agreed, saying many delegates might have intentionally skipped the Aug 16 congress because of uncertainty about the party’s future.

Chin said this showed that delegates were uncomfortable with the party’s position in the government and its actions while in power.

Azmi said the congress was also crucial as it followed DAP’s wipeout in the Sabah election and key defeats in the Johor and Negeri Sembilan polls.

“From Sabah to Johor to Negeri Sembilan, there has been no improvement. In fact, statistically, DAP is getting much weaker.”

Only 2,223 of DAP’s 4,264 delegates attended the special congress on Sunday. Of these, 2,099 took part in the vote, with 1,857 voting for the party to remain in the government and 242 voting to leave.

DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook said the turnout was considered high as attendance during party elections usually only reached about 70%.

However, former Penang DAP deputy chairman P Ramasamy said a turnout of at least 80% was expected, given DAP’s critical political juncture.

Lau Zhe Wei.

Lau Zhe Wei of International Islamic University Malaysia said a turnout of 52% could not be considered low for a general meeting of any organisation.

He said if there was truly widespread discontent with DAP’s position and leadership, it would have made more sense for delegates to attend the congress and vote to leave the government.

“It doesn’t matter how many people attended, or how many (of those who were absent) would have chosen to stay in government. They were given the eligibility to vote, and they chose to skip it.

“At the end of the day, the results are valid. If it were an election and the turnout was only 50%, we wouldn’t be able to claim that the winning candidate wasn’t legitimate because of the low turnout. It’s the same here,” Lau said. - FMT