As the Federation of Malayan States approaches 50 years of age, many pundits reflect on how this country has grown as a nation. I believe that it is imperative that historians and Malaysians must also take an objective look as to how our major political parties have developed over the past 50 years.
For the purpose of this post, I will look solely at the Democratic Action Party (DAP). The party is an off-shot of the Singapore-based People’s Action Party (PAP) after the island state was booted from the federation in 1963.
Since then, the ethnic Chinese Malaysian-based party with a sizeable ethnic Indian Malaysian support base has championed the concept of ‘Malaysian Malaysia’ and more recently, ‘Malaysian First‘ and remains a major opposition party.
Established based on socialist democratic principles, the party had largely contested and won seats in Chinese majority areas. In 1986, DAP saw it’s best outing with a handsome haul of 24 parliamentary seats. It presently holds 12, after the 11th general election in 2004.
DAP loves BN
A few years back as a student, a friend of mine had claimed that the DAP was a lost cause and it’s most potent leader over the past three and a half decades Lim Kit Siang, a cunning ally of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.
I scoffed at the thought. After all, Lim and his cohorts were frequently the victims of political incarcerations, most prominently in 1969 and 1987.
But recent developments and an objective view of its performance, political directions and decisions over the past 27 years, have led to some what agree with my aforementioned friend.
To keep this post succinct (and at the risk of lacking objectivity), I will focus on DAP’s recent decisions in regards to the Machap by-election as a short analysis.
The party had on March 21 made an unilateral decision – without any consultation with Peninsula Malaysia’s three other major political parties PAS, PKR and PSM – to contest for the seat.
I have deduced the following:
1. DAP were not interested in fielding a candidate from the entire pool of opposition party prospects, that would ensure a better chance against BN.
2. Lim have conceded in a written statement to the press that DAP’s outing was meant to reduce the majority of the BN candidate.
3. Lim an inavertedly conceded that DAP is guaranteed of a loss at Machap.
4. DAP is not out to win the seat and allow proper representation of the Machap electorate at the Malacca state assembly.
5. And finally, I deduce that DAP is out to preserve the present status quo at the Machap state assembly.
Stumbling block towards democracy
If the DAP was truly interested in allowing proper representation of the Machap electorate at the Malacca state assembly, it would:
1 Ensure that the best candidate among all opposition parties or even independent candidates, win in the by-election.
2 Conduct prior consultation with all relevant stakeholders, including the Machap electorate.
3 They would beg and grovel at the feet of all opposition party heavyweights to descend upon Machap and campaign on the candidate’s behalf.
4 They would not field a candidate which the Machap electorate have rejected barely three years ago.
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has already explicitly expressed that DAP would not approach PAS for help. It had signalled that they would appreciate if PKR actively participated in the campaign, but it had yet to plea for help even though it needs it needs every ounce of assistance to even stand a chance.
They were lucky that PKR had ordered for it’s youth chief Shamsul Iskandar to make himself visible during nomination day. Should that not be the case, nomination day would see no more than a rocket flag versus a sea of BN component party flags.
It is such factors that lead me to conclude that the DAP’s attitude towards Machap was an attempt to preserve the status quo at the Malacca state assembly.
In a more macro context, DAP’s actions recently is reflective of how it has operated since inception in 1963. Every grave folly by BN component parties, especially Umno, would lead to votes towards DAP.
DAP’s influence will wane
But yet, DAP is never of danger towards BN. It is the very nature of DAP’s ethno-centric, chauvinistic, substance-lacking policies that makes it what it is today, which is not very different from how it started off in 1963.
It is content with the confines of being an opposition party and at the same time, dividing dissenting voters from allowing the formation of a credible alternative to the BN.
Based on the above analysis, my conclusion is that the DAP is a severe obstacle towards the development of this federation as a democratic nation state. While even PAS have recognised the need for the establishment of a formidable opposition force to take on the BN, DAP is hell bent on spoiling such chances.
While it is unlikely that the DAP would be voted out of existence within the next 10 years, do be prepared that its influence would be drastically reduced as Chinese-majority seats become scarcer as the years roll by.
Until then, I would expect PAS, PKR and other opposition parties to form better ties and hopefully, all merge as one entity – identifying with all Malaysians – in preparation of the when the opportune moment presents itself.
