KUALA LUMPUR – DAP will not amend its party policies for the sake of winning votes in the Pulai parliamentary and Simpang Jeram state by-elections, said party secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook.
Loke, who is also transport minister, said that DAP does not need to abandon its secular nation agenda and its “Malaysian Malaysia” slogan – as an agreement among federal unity government component parties has been reached on the matter.
He added that DAP has never requested other parties to change its party constitution as every party has its own principles and ideologies.
“What matters is that we have formed a government and are working together on several parameters. The most important thing is that we defend the federal constitution and basic issues that are of concern to the Malays.
“This includes upholding Islam as the federal religion, Bahasa Malaysia as the national language, Article 153 (safeguarding the special position of the Malays and natives) as well as the position of the Malay rulers,” Loke said.
The Seremban MP said this when met by reporters after a Pakatan Harapan (PH) campaign event at Wisma DAP Bakri last night.
Loke also said that Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was pleased with DAP’s explanation on its principles prior to the formation of the unity government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also PH chairman.
He added that there is “no need” to raise this issue anymore by making it into a polemic that can affect the people’s confidence.
Instead, he said that it would be better for unity government parties to focus their efforts on securing support from voters, especially those from the Malay community.
“We know that it’s a challenge to get the support of Malay voters, but I managed to win in my constituency where the majority of voters are Malay. So the issue of DAP being unable to secure Malay voters or the party being rejected by them should not arise.
“This proves that DAP’s work, approach and service to the people is what voters evaluate, not our party ideologies,” he added.
Previously, Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed had urged DAP to amend its policies in order to secure support from Malay voters through its partnership with the Barisan Nasional linchpin party.
Nur Jazlan asserted that DAP will be unable to win over Malay voters unless it drops its secular nation agenda and the “Malaysian Malaysia” slogan.
Similarly, in an open letter addressed to Loke, MCA vice-president Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker called on DAP to admit to its mistakes and seek forgiveness from Malaysians instead of “playing victim” as it is the most dominant party in the government today. – September 2, 2023
DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook has said that there is no needs for the party to abandon its secular nation agenda and its ‘Malaysian Malaysia’ slogan. – September 2, 2023
