Malaysia’s Democratic Action Party (DAP) has announced it will hold a special national congress on August 16 to determine whether the party should remain part of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s “unity” government. The decision follows a series of disappointing electoral results for the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, most recently in the Negeri Sembilan state election held this past Saturday.
DAP Secretary-General Anthony Loke, who also serves as the Minister of Transport, confirmed the upcoming vote during a press conference. Loke stated that the party’s central executive committee (CEC) has opted to leave the final decision to the party’s roughly 4,000 delegates. “The decision will be made by the delegates, not the CEC. We will leave it to their wisdom,” Loke remarked. Currently, the DAP holds 40 of the 77 seats allocated to the PH coalition in the federal parliament and occupies five ministerial and seven deputy ministerial positions within the cabinet.
The move comes after the PH coalition suffered a significant defeat in Negeri Sembilan, where it secured only 11 of the 36 legislative assembly seats, a decrease from its previous 17. The election was claimed by an alliance between Barisan Nasional (BN)—a federal partner of PH—and the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, which collectively won 25 seats. Following the loss, Loke resigned as the DAP’s chairman for Negeri Sembilan for Negeri Sembilan, a role he had held for 13 years, after losing his own seat in the state legislative assembly.
These results mirror recent electoral setbacks in Johor and Sabah. While the DAP maintained a relatively strong showing in Negeri Sembilan by winning nine of the 11 seats it contested, it has faced growing challenges in urban areas where its traditional ethnic Chinese and liberal voter base has increasingly abstained or shifted support to other parties. Disillusionment with the government has been fueled by concerns over the handling of corruption cases, including allegations of misconduct at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, and frustration over the slow pace of promised reforms.
DAP National Chairman Gobind Singh Deo noted that the party accepts the Negeri Sembilan results “with full humility.” Despite the internal debate, the party has stated it will continue to support the PH coalition for now. However, analysts suggest that the ongoing political friction between PH and its federal partner BN could complicate the future of the administration. With the next general election required by early 2028, the potential for a more cohesive alliance between BN and the Islamist party PAS poses a significant threat to the longevity of Anwar’s government.
You have reached the limit of 2 free articles this month.
In March, DAP announced that it would “evaluate its position” in the governing coalition for the next general election, due to its disappointment with the government’s approach to corruption and the difficulty of being forced to defend the compromises made by PH after striking an unlikely alliance with BN after the general election of 2022.
