DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook has warned that the party faces a challenging battle in the next general election (GE16), amid growing prospects of Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) forming a nationwide political alliance.
Speaking at the Federal Territories DAP convention, Loke said the BN-PN cooperation represented a new challenge in the political landscape, noting that both coalitions were seeking to expand their alliance nationwide.
“DAP must be brave enough to face whatever challenges come our way and do the right thing, even when doing so does not necessarily bring political rewards.
“Today’s convention may be the last before we face GE16. Over the next 12 months, we must take on a lot of work and challenges, and the Federal Territories DAP must help defend our seats in Kuala Lumpur,” he told delegates.
DAP reviews performance after Sabah election defeat
Loke said the party leadership had conducted a post-mortem following the Sabah state election in November last year, in which DAP lost all its seats in the state assembly.
He said several measures had since been implemented to strengthen the party’s support.
However, he warned that DAP would face even greater challenges in GE16 and stressed that the party must not retreat in the face of political pressure.
BN-PN cooperation gains momentum
BN and PN formalised an alliance for the Negeri Sembilan state election on Aug 1, winning a two-thirds majority while Pakatan Harapan (PH) suffered a heavy defeat.
Loke was among the major casualties of the election, losing the Chennah seat, which he had held since 2013, to MCA’s John Siow.
BN and PN have since established another electoral alliance for the Nov 14 Melaka state election, with BN contesting 23 seats and PN fielding candidates in five.
