After its shocking wipeout in the Sabah state election—losing every one of the eight seats it contested—DAP has suddenly rediscovered the language of urgency. The party’s central leadership convened an emergency meeting and announced that it would push for “express reforms” within the next six months. And if Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim fails to deliver these reforms?
According to DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke, the party will “reassess its role in government.”
At first glance, this sounded bold. Firm. A turning point for a party that has been accused—especially by its own supporters—of going quiet after coming into power.
But within the same breath, Loke clarified what this reassessment actually means:
even if DAP leaves the unity government, it will still continue supporting Anwar’s administration until the next general election.
Let that sink in.
DAP’s ultimatum is essentially this:
“We demand reforms. But if you don’t implement them, we will leave the government… while still supporting you anyway.”
This is the political equivalent of threatening to walk out of the house but promising to keep paying the rent, cooking dinner, and watering the plants.
Under such conditions, why would Anwar feel pressured at all? If nothing meaningful happens even if he fails to deliver reforms, what incentive does he have to “expedite” anything?
Will DAP Ministers Even Resign?
Even the basics remain unclear.
If DAP “leaves” the unity government:
- Will its ministers resign?
- Will it give up portfolios?
- Or will it simply rebrand itself as a “friend of the government” while keeping all positions intact?
Anthony Loke did not say.
And his answers so far raise more questions than clarity.
He pointed to UEC recognition as a possible deliverable within six months, but his explanation was so evasive that it could be interpreted in multiple ways. Was he promising UEC recognition? Or merely hinting at “progress”? The ambiguity appears deliberate.
Meanwhile, the party still has not issued any concrete list of reforms it expects within the six-month window. Not a checklist, not a timeline, not even a definition of what success or failure looks like.
So what exactly is the ultimatum based on? No one knows.
What Anthony Loke Actually Said
In an interview with Chinese-language YouTube channel The Keywords, Loke emphasised two major points:
- DAP will reassess its role after six months if reforms don’t materialise, but
- DAP will not withdraw its support for Anwar at any point before GE16 because it refuses to trigger political chaos.
He said clearly:
- DAP holds 40 parliamentary seats.
- “If someone pulls two seats, the government does not fall; but if DAP pulls all 40, it collapses.”
- And DAP will not allow that to happen.
He insisted that the government must show “visible, meaningful change” in six months to improve public perception, but also said reform takes time and must happen “through proper processes.”
So to the question of can we expect to see any reform in the next 6 months, Anthony answered with both a yes and no - If I were to interpret what he means, I believe what he is saying is that DAP will try to show visible and meaningful reform, but we should be prepared to accept that what they try to show might not manifest in the next 6 months, because “reform takes time and must go through the proper process.”
I suppose in the end, we will just have to resign ourselves to appreciate DAP's intent - that they tried to do bring about change - it doesn't matter if they didn't succeed - it is the effort that counts.
To prove further what we can expect might just be an attempt, rather then result, Loke further urged party members not to overreact to the Sabah defeat by demanding DAP leave the unity government, arguing that such a move would achieve nothing.
He also floated the introduction of a “new national language policy” within six months, which will include addressing UEC recognition—but again couched this in the complexities of Peninsular politics and coalition sensitivities.
SOSMA: The Only Clear Reform Demand—But Not from the Leadership
One striking development is that the only specific reform demand with clear details—SOSMA—did not come from Anthony Loke or the top DAP leadership.
Instead, it came from RSN Rayer and Ramkarpal Singh.
Rayer’s Position
Rayer called SOSMA a “draconian” law and pointed to the case of nine detainees whose initial charges failed in several magistrates’ courts, only for authorities to later detain them under SOSMA to bypass bail and judicial oversight. He argued that SOSMA has repeatedly been used to detain individuals without trial for 28 days, with “not a single case brought to trial so far.”
He demanded outright abolition.
Ramkarpal’s Position
Ramkarpal called for either abolishing SOSMA or urgently amending Sections 13 and 30, which strip the courts of discretion, deny bail, and require individuals to be re-imprisoned even after acquittal.
He noted that stakeholder engagement had begun as far back as 2023—so there is no justification for further delay.
Parliamentary Committee Findings
A parliamentary select committee chaired by William Leong recommended eight strategic amendments, citing issues including:
- prolonged detention without judicial review,
- denial of bail,
- restricted access to lawyers,
- lack of transparency,
- erosion of human rights protections.
But Here Is the Problem
Despite all this:
- Anthony Loke did not mention SOSMA in his six-month reform plan.
- No top DAP leader endorsed Rayer or Ramkarpal’s calls.
- The clearest reform push is coming from MPs outside the party’s inner circle.
This reveals a clear disconnect:
DAP’s strongest reformist voices are speaking from the backbench, while the top leadership continues to issue vague, ambiguous, carefully worded statements.
So What Exactly Is DAP Threatening?
When stripped of rhetoric, the situation becomes very simple:
- DAP demands reforms in six months.
- DAP has not listed what those reforms are.
- DAP will not collapse the government no matter what.
- DAP might leave cabinet, or might not.
- DAP ministers might resign, or might stay.
- If reforms do not happen, nothing meaningful changes.
So in reality, DAP is not issuing a six-month ultimatum—it is signalling frustration without consequences.
This raises the uncomfortable but unavoidable question:
Why should Anwar lift a finger if DAP has already guaranteed that failure carries no political cost?
Without clarity, without teeth, and without a genuine threat of consequences, DAP’s “express reform ultimatum” so far, is reminding me of a line of Shakespeare:
It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing."
I hope my opinion will change in the near future, but I am not holding my breath.
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