Political analysts are divided over whether DAP’s decision to have only its secretary-general, Loke Siew Fook, resign as a minister will be enough to ease grassroots anger over the conditional pardon granted to former prime minister Najib Razak.
One analyst said all five DAP ministers should have resigned to help the party retain grassroots support.
Lau Zhe Wei of the International Islamic University of Malaysia told FMT that a mass resignation would have been the right move, although DAP was not responsible for the conditional pardon granted to Najib.
He said such a move would not jeopardise the stability of the unity government, as all 40 of its MPs could continue supporting the government in Parliament.
Concerns over DAP’s support base
Lau said the decision for only Loke to resign had placed DAP in a difficult position with its supporters, particularly those from the Chinese community, at a time when the party was losing support, as seen in recent elections.
“What can be done to regain their support? I would propose that all of them resign – not out of anger or because they feel they should take responsibility – but because they have to think about which way is best for them to retain Chinese support in the future.
“This is super critical. Once you lose the trust and bond you have with the Chinese community, it is not easy to patch it up,” he said.
Lau said a lack of Chinese representation in the Cabinet would not be an issue, as PKR could appoint Chinese MPs from the party to fill the positions, or appoint outsiders.
He cited the example of Najib appointing Paul Low, former president of Transparency International Malaysia, as a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department after MCA refused to join Najib’s Cabinet following its losses in the 2013 general election.
Lau said that while there was nothing wrong with DAP ministers remaining in their posts, the decision could give opponents more opportunities to accuse the party of being power-hungry.
Analysts offer differing views
Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Oh Ei Sun said he did not think DAP supporters would blame the party if all its ministers resigned en masse, potentially causing the government to fall.
“In fact, support would return (to DAP). I don’t think their supporters would be satisfied with half-measures,” he told FMT.
However, Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said DAP’s grassroots should not be overly upset by the conditional pardon, as Najib had undergone due process and was pardoned by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
“I think DAP supporters should not construe that the party has failed in this particular issue,” he told FMT.
Azmi said Loke’s sole resignation was the right move, as a mass resignation would have given Umno ammunition to put further pressure on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to dissolve Parliament.
“If DAP had decided to leave the government and support Anwar from outside, it would give extra ammunition to Umno to create political turmoil in the unity government,” he said.
