DAP must deliver reforms or risk losing more support, analyst warns
PETALING JAYA: DAP’s decision to remain in the Unity government may preserve its influence in Putrajaya but the party risks losing further electoral support if it fails to deliver on its reform promises, said Universiti Teknologi Malaysia political analyst Dr Mazlan Ali.
He said staying in government is the right choice for DAP, given the mandate it received at the 2022 general election.
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“The people, particularly the Chinese community, gave DAP a huge mandate by enabling it to win 40 parliamentary seats.
“This mandate is for DAP to be in government and contribute to the people who gave the party its mandate.”
Mazlan said remaining in government would allow DAP leaders and grassroots members to continue serving through their positions as ministers, chairmen, board members and representatives in GLCs and other bodies.
He said leaving would risk alienating its core supporters by reducing their representation in government.
“If DAP leaves the government, their supporters will lose representatives in the government and this will disappoint them, causing DAP to continue to be rejected by the people.”
DAP delegates voted 1,857 to 242 on Sunday to remain in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s administration until the end of the parliamentary term, with the motion receiving 88% of valid votes.
Mazlan said the decision also strengthened Anwar’s position at a time when the prime minister’s political standing is becoming increasingly fragile.
Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Prof Dr Azmi Hassan, however, disagreed with the view, arguing that leaving the government while continuing to support Anwar from outside would have given DAP a stronger voice.
“By opting out of the government but still supporting Datuk Seri Anwar, they would have had a more vocal voice in criticising the government because they would no longer be part of it.”
Azmi said DAP had chosen what he described as the “safer pathway”, but questioned whether it would help the party or Pakatan Harapan recover from recent electoral setbacks.
He said the decision is particularly significant after DAP’s earlier warning that the government needs to deliver reforms following its losses in Sabah.
“The most intriguing part is not the decision made to stay put. It is that almost half of the delegates did not attend despite knowing that such a critical decision would be made.”
Azmi said the low participation could indicate weakening confidence in the party leadership and its ability to reverse DAP’s electoral decline.
“I don’t think it will benefit DAP, PKR or the whole of Pakatan Harapan very much.” Mazlan said DAP had little room for another retreat.
“I think this is DAP’s last chance to prove it is truly committed to its election promises.”
On DAP’s cooperation with Umno, Mazlan said the relationship remains complicated, particularly as Umno had adopted an anti-DAP narrative during recent state elections.
He said Umno’s cooperation with Perikatan Nasional in the Johor and Negeri Sembilan elections showed the difficulty of sustaining the partnership.
