KUALA LUMPUR – A Malaysian political party that had often stood strongly against corruption, loudly criticising past policies that infringed on minority rights, and participated in street protests, has turned into a moderate player that works out differences behind closed doors.
Supporters of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) are scratching their heads to understand the new norm, which has developed over in the past two years as the long-time opposition party has become one with the most lawmakers in Malaysia’s ruling coalition.
There are party voices who want the 59-year-old DAP to continue with its record of boldly taking on controversial issues.
But party insiders insist that its leaders are still sticking to their principled stand on hot-button issues, from “halal ham sandwiches” to Chinese signboards on Malaysian streets. They are just doing it differently – as DAP is a government party, its leaders say such table-banging negotiations are best done behind closed doors with other Cabinet colleagues.
The DAP has five full Cabinet ministers and six deputy ministers in the two-year-old government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. It also has 40 MPs and 90 state assemblymen spread among Malaysia’s 10 states. Among Malaysia’s myriad political parties, only opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia has more MPs (43) and more state assemblymen (147).
“DAP has transformed from a party of Mandarin-speaking urban and rural voters in the 1980s to a credible representative of the Chinese community in the late 2000s. Now the party has transformed further to be part of a multiracial ruling coalition,” said Mr Adib Zalkapli, managing director of political risk consultancy Viewfinder Global Affairs.
“So naturally, it has to project itself as a national party,” he added.
And it has to do this while remaining true to its identity. “The party cannot completely avoid discussing Chinese-centric issues, as DAP is, after all, the representative of the Chinese community in the federal government,” said Mr Adib.
The internal debate on the party’s evolution and new direction will be in play on March 16 as the DAP gears up for its national congress and internal elections, which are held every three years.
More than 4,000 DAP delegates at the one-day congress to be held in Shah Alam, the capital of Selangor state, will vote on the type of leadership they want.
The Chinese-led DAP, formed in October 1965, eight years after Malaysia’s independence, adopted a multiracial approach from the start, with a primary focus on advocating for equal treatment of Chinese and Indian minorities in terms of economic prosperity and education.
The social democrats employed outspoken tactics and progressive arguments to rally urban professionals, as well as Chinese and Indian voters, during its five decades in the opposition.
“We couldn’t access internal information as we were not part of the government at that time. We had to rely on protests… But we will continue to play an outspoken role if things get worse,” a DAP backbencher Lim Lip Eng told The Straits Times.
Recalling the fiery nature of the DAP’s past efforts, Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang, a founding member, spoke of how he vehemently opposed the assimilation policy in the 1980s to defend minority identity and rights.
“Back then, the government wanted to close down all Chinese and Tamil schools, which we opposed. The relevant legal provision was (eventually) removed,” the 84-year-old remarked to thousands of party members at his birthday celebration in Penang on Feb 15, to a round of applause from the Chinese-majority dinner attendees.
The DAP became a member of the governing coalition after the 2018 general election, when the Pakatan Harapan coalition was led by former premier Mahathir Mohamad to victory.
Mr Lim’s eldest son Lim Guan Eng was made finance minister in Tun Dr Mahathir’s second run as prime minister from May 2018 to February 2020. Dr Mahathir had previously led the country between 1981 and 2003.
The younger Lim was the DAP’s secretary-general between 2004 and 2022, and its national chairman from 2022 till now. He adopted the style of his father and those party leaders before him, aggressively voicing out disagreements with government policies or in controversies that often blight Malaysian politics.
But a different approach was taken by the party after its 2022 internal polls, when Mr Anthony Loke took over as secretary-general. Under the new generation of leadership, Mr Loke, who is now the Transport Minister, is assisted by the party’s parliamentary leader, Mr Nga Kor Ming, who is also the Minister of Local Government Development.
The turning point for the DAP came in November 2022 just hours before Datuk Seri Anwar was sworn in as Malaysia’s 10th prime minister, when Mr Loke apologised to the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), over statements made by DAP leaders in the past that offended Sarawak people and leaders.
The GPS, a coalition of four parties with 23 federal MPs, was a must-have ally if Mr Anwar wanted to form his government.
Mr Loke’s apology prompted Mr Lim Guan Eng to follow suit, apologising for a remark he made in 2019 suggesting that Sarawak could go bankrupt under GPS rule. The gesture paved the way for the DAP to sit side-by-side with the GPS in Mr Anwar’s multi-coalition administration.
Under Mr Loke’s leadership, the more accommodating approach towards racial and religious issues was adopted many times, including in July 2024 in the Tiger Beer controversy, where a Malay deputy minister was attacked by Malay-Muslim parties for attending an event at a Chinese school that was sponsored by a beer company. The Chinese school and the community were caught in the crossfire.
The issue petered out after several weeks, with the authorities saying that existing guidelines barring the use of a brewery’s logo should be maintained on school grounds.
“We were criticised for staying silent on multiple controversies. But our ministers, Mr Loke and Mr Nga , were actively mediating these issues within the Cabinet to resolve them,” Pahang DAP chief Lee Chin Chen told ST.
Penang DAP grassroots leader Rachael Tan said the party has had to make major compromises, such as not raising heat over a decision made by Malaysia’s previous king to halve the jail sentence of ex-premier Najib Razak to six years.
“We are part of a coalition government that requires internal coordination. We can voice our opposition within the government; why must we express it to the public? Being part of the government coalition has given the DAP has more political muscle, and has brought more benefits for local development, such as the construction of the Penang LRT,” Ms Tan said.
“I personally disagree with Najib receiving a 50 per cent sentence reduction. But we are in a coalition (with Umno). Compromise is necessary. For now, at least Najib is still in jail,” she told ST.
At the March 16 party’s congress, a new line-up of 30 Central Executive Committee (CEC) members will be elected from a pool of 70 candidates, including Mr Loke, Mr Nga, and Mr Lim Guan Eng. The newly elected CEC members will then determine the national office-bearers, such as the secretary-general and chairman.
The 4,203 delegates voting for their new leaders will have to decide whether the DAP should remain vocal street fighters, or allow its leaders to quietly work the Cabinet behind closed doors when fiery controversies arise.
Lu Wei Hoong is Malaysia correspondent at The Straits Times. He loves to travel and discover hidden gems of stories.
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