PETALING JAYA: The Negri Sembilan election results have put the DAP national congress on Aug 16 under the spotlight, with political analysts saying delegates could push for tougher decisions on the party’s role in the Federal Government.
They said the outcome in Negri Sembilan – and last month’s Johor polls – had underscored DAP’s longer term challenge of broadening its appeal among Malay voters while retaining its traditional Chinese support.
The current political alignment between Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional had also made mixed constituencies increasingly difficult for Pakatan Harapan, said International Islamic University Malaysia assistant professor Dr Lau Zhe Wei.
He said such a trend was likely to continue into the general election unless there are other major political realignments.
“As long as Barisan and Perikatan continue working together, Pakatan will find it difficult to regain many of the mixed seats it won in 2018,” he said.
The DAP national congress, initially slated for July, was postponed to Aug 16 following the dissolution of the Johor and Negri Sembilan state assemblies.
As for the defeat of DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke in the Chennah seat on Saturday, Lau said that this does not signify a leadership crisis in the party.
DAP’s performance should not be judged solely by Loke’s defeat, he said.
He noted that the party remained dominant in Chinese-majority constituencies, winning nine of the 11 seats it contested in Negri Sembilan.
As such, he said that DAP’s challenge lies not in its leadership but its ability to win greater support among Malay voters.
Likewise, Taylor’s University adjunct professor Dr Ong Kian Ming said DAP’s performance in Negri Sembilan should not be interpreted as a rejection of Loke’s leadership.
“The more important test of Anthony’s leadership will be the GE16. For now, It is still too early to speculate about any leadership change,” he said.
Ong also dismissed suggestions that former party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng’s camp would gain significant momentum from the election outcome, saying any major internal realignment within DAP would more likely take place after GE16.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia political analyst Assoc Prof Dr Mazlan Ali said the Negri Sembilan outcome showed that the bigger setback was suffered by PKR and Amanah, which struggled to win Malay support.
He estimated that Barisan and Perikatan secured about 85% of the Malay vote in rural areas, while Pakatan received less than 10%.
In urban areas, Pakatan’s share of the Malay vote was around 15%, he said.
Mazlan said Pakatan should focus on rebuilding public confidence by addressing bread-and-butter issues and improving the implementation of government policies.
He said concerns over the rising cost of living and what some businesses viewed as weak enforcement against foreign companies had contributed to voter dissatisfaction.
