I REALLY doubt that even if DAP can resurrect itself in the state polls in Negeri Sembilan (N9) by winning enough seats, it would be able to stop its drift towards the doldrums.
It must be remembered that the general weakening of DAP is not going to be confined to one or two states.
Its electoral calamity in Sabah and, to some extent, in Johor is symptomatic of the general decline of DAP as the representative force of the Chinese and Indians.
The political disease that is afflicting DAP has consumed PKR totally to the extent that the party won only one seat in the recent Johor election.
I seriously doubt that PKR can make a comeback in the N9 elections to hold on to the Menteri Besar’s position.
Barisan Nasional (BN) might repeat its performance in N9 to the extent that it grabs the position of Menteri Besar.
Neglecting non-Malays
I seriously doubt that DAP can better its performance in the N9 state elections scheduled on Aug 1.
Yes, N9 is not Johor or even Sabah but the wind that is blowing against DAP cannot be checked by state boundaries given their porosity.
DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook might claim that N9 is different from Johor but he misses the point that the disease afflicting the PH coalition in general and DAP in particular, pertains to its national performance rather than local issues.
The Indians have started deserting the PH coalition after the 2023 state elections. The purge of popular Indian leaders was one of the many reasons why DAP fell out of favour with the community.
Once ensconced in the comforts of power, positions and perks, DAP leaders started neglecting their fundamental base – the non-Malays in the country.
The abandonment of the ideology of democratic centralism, its replacement with the idea of social democracy and the camouflage of the concept of “Malaysian Malaysia” with the nebulous “Malaysian Dream” were reflective of the changed material position of the party.
The transformation of DAP within the span of 18 years was not accidental but consistent with the changes in the ideational and material base.
This is why it is naive for Loke to claim that the results in the N9 polls might be advantageous to DAP.
Evidently, it took less time for DAP to fall out of favour with the general public than the MCA, MIC and Gerakan.
Ironically, MCA and MIC have been revived in the Johor state elections. Nobody expected MIC to achieve 100% success by winning all four seats that it contested.
In Johor, the Chinese vote for DAP was less than 50% compared to 80% to 85% some years ago.
Indians have completely deserted DAP on the grounds that the party uses and manipulates Indians for its political survival.
UEC, pig farming ordeal
Apart from the ideological obfuscation, DAP has basically given up on advancing the rights of the non-Malays.
Its Cabinet ministers function more as civil servants than as makers of policy. The entry of UEC (Unified Examination Certificate) graduates into public universities for limited courses has generally angered the Chinese community.
The inability of the party to fight for the pig farms was a disappointment to the Chinese community.
The Indians have been angered by Anwar’s decision to pinpoint “illegal” Hindu temples for demolition and the forced re-location of the 130-year-old Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman temple in Kuala Lumpur to make way for the Madani Mosque.
Anwar has gone on to described re-location of the temple as a victory for Islam. There are many other grievances that have accumulated within the Chinese and Indian communities since Anwar assumed office.
The net effect of these accumulated grievances among the non-Malay communities is a growing sentiment that works against PH, DAP and PKR.
I seriously doubt that Loke will be able to convince DAP to leave the Madani government as a way to resurrect the party.
Support for or withdrawal of support from DAP is not like turning a water pipe off and on.
The problems facing DAP are much more structurally embedded in the political and economic system than can be resolved simply by trying to reconvince the electorate with new promises.
DAP knows very well that this cannot be done overnight as the juggernaut of forces working against PH is about to roll into N9 with devastating effects. – July 14, 2026
Former DAP stalwart and Penang deputy chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
