PUTRAJAYA: An overwhelming 88.2% of DAP delegates have voted for the party's leaders to remain in the Federal Government until the current term ends, giving its Cabinet members a strong mandate to stay on for the remaining 18 months.
DAP congress chairman Cha Kee Chin said 1,857 delegates voted in favour of the party remaining in government, while 242, or 11.5%, voted for it to leave.
The decision was made through a secret ballot at the party's national congress here on Sunday (Aug 16).
"The majority, through the secret ballot, has spoken. A total of 1,857 delegates voted for our leaders to remain in the federal government," said Cha, who is also DAP Negri Sembilan state committee secretary, when announcing the results.
The Rasah MP said 2,223 delegates attended the congress, representing an attendance rate of 52.1%.
A total of 2,106 ballot papers were issued and all were accounted for after voting closed, according to Cha.
Of these, he said 2,099 votes were valid, while seven ballot papers were spoiled.
DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke called the result a mandate to press on with reform.
Loke said 88% of delegates present at the party's national congress backed the motion to stay, capping a debate in which speaker after speaker urged DAP to remain in Putrajaya while keeping a close watch on the reforms it had been promised.
He said the outcome was a mandate for the party's central executive committee (CEC) and its representatives in government to keep serving and carry out the reform agenda set out in the Pakatan Harapan manifesto.
Loke rejected suggestions that the congress was being used to pressure Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim with a DAP agenda, insisting the reforms were commitments made jointly across Pakatan.
"The agenda to limit the Prime Minister to two terms and the agenda to fight corruption are agreed together. They are not DAP's alone,” he said in a press conference after the national conference.
He said the party would keep pressing cost-of-living concerns raised by the grassroots, including calls to review RON95 and diesel quotas for Sabah and Sarawak.
Loke said the specifics would be worked out with Anwar and the Cabinet, pointing to a significant announcement expected on Aug 30 ahead of National Day, followed by Malaysia Day and the budget presentation in early October.
"Most delegates voted to stay, but some wanted the party to be decisive and assertive," he said.
He said delegates had been free to vote as they wished, but the party would abide by the majority, and appealed to those unhappy with the result to fall in behind the leadership.
