Sleepless nights for DAP leaders

The "big four" will decide whether DAP ministers and deputy ministers stay put in the government or relinquish their posts.

IT seemed like bad timing for DAP to be holding a celebration dinner while the party is in the throes of a crisis.

The gathering to mark the 40th anniversary of the Battle of Tanjong is an event that still stirs the hearts of many party old-timers in Penang.

The guest of honour was Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang who symbolises the Battle of Tanjung. He had defied the odds in the 1986 general election to defeat Parti Gerakan rising star Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon for the Tanjung parliamentary seat.

It was a watershed moment that would eventually lead to DAP’s domination of Penang although it is doubtful that anyone below the age of 40 can relate to what it was about. Those seated around the enormous VIP table included three former Tanjung MPs - Kit Siang, Chow Kon Yeow, who is now Chief Minister (CM), and Ng Wei Aik. And of course there is the current Tanjung MP Lim Hui Ying.

Nevertheless, the timing was rather off and the celebration dinner was somewhat like Emperor Nero fiddling away while Rome burned.

Don’t they know that the Malay tsunami is approaching?

Analysts have predicted that even Pakatan’s crown jewel, Selangor, is in danger from the combined might of Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional.

Has power made these leaders in Penang impervious to danger? Are they aware of what people out there are saying about them?

For instance, Hui Ying, when speaking at an event at the Lim Kongsi a fortnight ago, praised her brother Lim Guan Eng and the late Tun Lim Chong Eu as the two CMs who had made big and lasting contributions to Penang.

Some reporters in the audience glanced at each other and rolled their eyes. It was quite widely reported in the Chinese media and the comments from readers were scathing.

But it was Ng who stole the show that evening when he declared that he would be asking  the five DAP ministers and seven deputy ministers to resign their posts and support the Madani government as backbenchers at the DAP congress on Aug 16.

Ng, whom the party retired in 2018, also said he is returning to active politics because he wants to help the party when it is in trouble.

The thing is that Ng is widely seen as the “loudspeaker” of a powerful Penang warlord. He has been stirring up things in Penang DAP the last few months by urging top party leaders from outside to contest in Penang and become the next CM.

His real target is Steven Sim who is the leading candidate for the CM job.

All these underhanded attacks are Ng’s way of saying that Sim, who is Penang DAP chairman and Bukit Mertajam, is not fit to be the next CM.

The day after the dinner, a group of DAP veterans aligned to Sim, held a press conference in a popular food court in Bukit Mertajam to admonish Ng and to question his motives.

They told him not to influence the delegates ahead of the congress and said that his action would affect the party’s unity.

“All the Chinese papers carried it prominently. They can see that factional cracks have started to show in the party,” said Chinese newspaper columnist Jeff Ooi.

Ng hit back saying that he appeared to have poked “the boss” behind the Bukit Mertajam veterans.

Some see Ng’s action as an indirect strike at secretary-general Anthony Loke in the wake of his defeat in the Negri Sembilan election.

The careers of many DAP leaders hang on the outcome of the Aug 16 congress where the delegates will decide by secret balloting whether they will stay or quit the Cabinet.

There are some 4,000 members who qualify as delegates although only about half them will usually make the effort to attend the party congress.

It is understood no one has pushed harder than Loke that the decision must be made by the delegates.

This is arguably the most critical juncture in Loke’s political journey. He has spent his entire adult life in politics and everything he has worked for is about to come down to this moment.

The Transport Minister led his party to the pinnacle but is now struggling against the tide of public opinion about DAP and Pakatan Harapan.

The majority of the DAP base comprises the hua-sha or Chinese-educated group and they will hold sway over the outcome of the congress.

The hua-sha segment speaks Mandarin, their world view is skewed to the east, they are intensely conscious of their cultural rights and are suspicious of the political  Islam of PAS.

The hua-sha group often accuse the Malays of being racist without realising that their own attitudes are just as racist.

At the same time, they are also pragmatic people who want a stable environment to raise their family and make a living.

Politics-wise, they are disappointed with Pakatan and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim but are still attached to DAP.

There are also those who are focused on the survival of the party and who believe the downward slide will worsen if DAP sticks by Anwar.

They think DAP can hold on to its four state seats in Melaka and two in Sarawak if it quits the Cabinet. They believe it will rally the Chinese voters to save the party.

Will the hua-sha group rock the boat or will pragmatism prevail?

A DAP insider said that states with the most branches and members will determine  whether DAP leaders go or stay.

The “big four” are Penang, Perak, Johor and Selangor. Penang is often spoken of as the “three kingdoms” given how the factions are divided on who should be the next CM.

Perak is wrapped around the control of strongman Nga Kor Ming. Selangor is too independent for everyone to toe the same line whereas the unremarkable party leadership in Johor makes it hard to read.

It will be a sleepless week for DAP leaders.