DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke said the party has not abandoned its ideals, adding that it is driving some of the most significant institutional changes in Malaysia from within government.
PETALING JAYA: DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke said the party has not diluted its reformist agenda despite claims to the contrary, adding that major institutional shifts particularly in Parliament and governance culture prove meaningful reform is taking place within the Unity government.
In an exclusive interview with theSun, Loke highlighted reforms ranging from a more independent Parliament to unprecedented oversight mechanisms, addingthat these shifts are strengthening accountability, empowering the voices of the Opposition and transforming the culture of governance.
He said while some may not notice the institutional changes, DAP remains committed to its principles, while navigating the realities and responsibilities of being in the government.
On criticisms that DAP has diluted its reformist stance
theSun: Some critics say DAP has toned down its reformist ideals since joining the Unity government. How do you respond?
Loke: This is a question that has always been asked. When you are in the government, you have to deliver and implement. By implementing, of course, it is not just about shouting.
Implementing means getting things done. There is a process in the government. You have to navigate within the system of governance to ensure that what we achieve can be delivered.
Some critics simply criticise but do not acknowledge the changes taking place within society and within the government today because of what we are doing.
Take for example, the Parliament. Parliament has changed tremendously. It is now a more independent institution, in which the oversight of Parliament over the government is unprecedented. These are institutional changes that nobody has acknowledged. Nobody talks about them.
So when you say that we have forgotten our ideals: What did we forget? We have been supporting and implementing all these changes. Parliament, as an institution, plays the most important role in oversight.
Never before in the history of Parliament have you seen the Opposition with so much role and space to oversee the government. They are not only heading the Public Accounts Committee, but also chairing various select committees to question the government.
The prime minister has committed to coming to Parliament every week to answer questions directly from MPs. In a way, the entire culture of Parliament has changed.
From the days when top office bearers tried to avoid scrutiny, now the prime minister himself comes weekly to be scrutinised. On top of that, we have various mechanisms and committees to (inspect) the government.
Again, this is something which, along the process, would create better governance, a more credible and accountable government. These are the changes taking place, and I hope the critics are fair as well.
On DAP’s future leadership and multi-racial engagement
theSun: DAP has a strong, relatively young leadership team. How do you see the party evolving to maintain support across all groups?
Loke: This is again an ongoing effort that the party is undertaking. From the last congress three years ago, when I took over, of course there was a change, with the younger generation taking over some key leadership roles within the party.
There is a deliberate attempt to make DAP more inclusive and multi-racial. So in the slate of our candidates, we have tried to push a more balanced line-up: more young people, more women and more multi-racial candidates.
For the first time, in the last election we had three Malay candidates on top of six Indian candidates and, of course, the majority were Chinese candidates.
We do not deny that the larger membership within DAP and the support base of the party has always been non-Malays.
We are trying to reach out more to other races as well, especially the Malay community.
Many constituencies represented by DAP are no longer just one race. A lot of them are actually mixed. My constituency is (an example), with more than half of the voters being Malay.
That has changed our landscape and changed our approach as well.
Like it or not, all our elected representatives have to reach out to the various communities.
We hope that over time, with this engagement and this groundwork at the grassroots level, we will slowly change the perception of Malaysians towards DAP.
Whatever any DAP leader says, I think among the Chinese and Indians (the party) is generally accepted, but among the Malays, it still takes some effort to build understanding.
On urban–rural perception gaps
theSun: Acceptance of DAP may be improving in urban areas, but rural communities remain wary. How do you address that?
Loke: Firstly, the DAP electoral base is not really in the rural areas. The rural communities have a different perception of DAP, firstly because we have always been portrayed as the ‘bogeyman’.
In fact, because of this, DAP has little presence in the rural areas. We have very little engagement with them. So they do not understand us.
They just see us through what is being told to them – unlike in constituencies where DAP has a presence, especially in urban and semi-urban areas, in which we engage with the public directly.
Those who have engaged with us, those who have dealt with us directly, know what kind of party we are. They do not feel uncomfortable.
For example, my constituency (Seremban). I engage with all the schools in my area, including all the teachers in the various streams through the parents and teachers association. By and large, I do not feel any problem engaging them.
I get invitations all the time from the Malay community for social events and for their places of worship, such as the mosque and surau. By and large, people accept us as elected representatives and we do not have any problem.
It is a matter of engagement. Of course in the short term, we do not think things could change overnight.
It would continue to be the same because rural constituencies would believe what they are told, no matter what.
Unfortunately, this is the Malaysian political landscape, which we have to accept for the time being.
But our hope, and my hope, is that DAP could stay longer in the government to prove that we are a Malaysian party. We are a party that is very fair and very objective. And a party that places importance on nation building.
To prove that, we need more time in the government. This is a challenge that we have to face.
We have to continue to win support and the mandate to stay in the government.
