SEREMBAN: Negri Sembilan DAP has unanimously urged party secretary-general Anthony Loke to remain as the state chairman following the party’s losses in the Chennah and Repah seats in the state election.
Loke, who contested Chennah, was defeated by Barisan Nasional’s Siow Kong Choon after polling 5,060 votes against Siow’s 5,593. Following the defeat, Loke said he was considering relinquishing the state chairmanship.
In a statement, Negri Sembilan DAP secretary Cha Kee Chin said all 18 members of the state committee had unanimously expressed their support for Loke and wanted him to continue leading the party.
Cha described Loke’s leadership as the best in the history of Negri Sembilan DAP, saying he had transformed the party from winning just two seats in 2004 into a political force respected by both allies and opponents.
He acknowledged that the defeats in Chennah and Repah were disappointing but stressed that Loke should not be blamed for the outcome.
“If Loke had not been the candidate, the opponent could have won by a much bigger majority,” he said.
Cha claimed the defeats were largely the result of Barisan Nasional and its allies exploiting racial and religious sentiments during the campaigning.
With Pakatan Harapan no longer holding a majority in the state assembly, he said DAP needed Loke’s leadership more than ever to navigate the challenges ahead, including preparations for the next general election.
According to Cha, an early analysis of the election results indicated that DAP and Pakatan candidates had retained strong support among their core voter base.
