DAP has already moved on from Ong, say analysts

Observers say Ong Kian Ming’s resignation is unlikely to hurt DAP for now, unless other young professionals tag along.

Analysts agree that Ong Kian Ming’s departure is unlikely to have a major impact on DAP given that he was no longer very active lately.

PETALING JAYA:

Ong Kian Ming’s departure will have little, if any, impact on DAP, given that the party has already moved on from the former Bangi MP, political analysts say.

Syaza Shukri of the International Islamic University Malaysia noted that Ong remains a well-known figure in DAP, but his departure is not a major loss as the party already has several younger leaders ready to step up.

“I feel that DAP has kind of moved on, given their disagreements with Ong,” she told FMT.

University of Tasmania’s James Chin noted that Ong had not been very active in the party in recent years, having relinquished his leadership role. Apart from that, he had also become increasingly critical of the party.

“The only impact will be on the public relations side, because he will give DAP’s enemies the ammunition to say that you’re losing all your talent,” Chin told FMT.

Syaza said that, unlike other parties, DAP already has a group of younger leaders such as Steven Sim, Yeo Bee Yin and Liew Chin Tong who are ready to take on more important roles.

Sim is 44, Yeo is 43, and Liew is 48, making them just a few years younger than Ong, who is 50.

Ong, a former two-term MP, announced his resignation from DAP on Monday after about 14 years with the party.

He said he did not plan to join another party or contest in the next general election, although he would help former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin campaign in GE16.

Previously seen as one of the party’s key strategists, the former deputy trade minister was brought into DAP by Tony Pua, who served as MP for Damansara from 2018 to 2022.

Ong served on the DAP central executive committee but failed to defend his position in the party’s top leadership in the 2022 party elections. He did not contest in the subsequent DAP polls last year.

He also opted not to defend his position in the Selangor DAP leadership in 2024, claiming that leaders from other states would campaign against him.

Syaza said Ong’s resignation appeared to be more about his relationship with DAP, adding that he may have felt he had reached the end of the road in the party.

However, she said some middle-aged supporters who identified with Ong and Pua might be disappointed by his departure and blame DAP.

She said younger fence-sitters were less likely to be affected, but DAP would do well to continue listening to members who disagree with the party.

Chin said DAP still has many smart and capable people in its fold, although most have not been as visible as Ong. He said the bigger problem was that DAP had become less willing to speak up after 2018 because it feared a Malay backlash.

Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said Ong’s departure would not have much immediate impact on DAP unless other young professionals left with him.

“If Ong is the sole politician to resign from DAP, then there wouldn’t be a large impact on DAP itself,” he added. - FMT