Two former DAP MPs have questioned Steven Sim’s plan to meet Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to propose policy changes following Pakatan Harapan’s defeats in the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections.
Kua Kia Soong said Sim, who is Penang DAP chairman, should not merely call for policy changes without setting out what those changes should be.
He said some of the policies that should have been implemented were already included in Pakatan Harapan’s 2018 election manifesto, but several remain unresolved, including federal recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC).
Kua questions DAP’s approach
Kua, who was Petaling Jaya MP from 1990 to 1995, also questioned whether Sim could identify the concerns voters had with Pakatan Harapan.
“DAP is behaving like the MCA did when Barisan Nasional was in power and voters are sick of such politics,” he told FMT, referring to past criticism of MCA for “kowtowing” to the Umno-led government.
“Don’t just talk about policy changes in an attempt to wiggle out of basic questions,” he added.
Kua also questioned how effective Sim’s planned meeting with Anwar would be.
“If the DAP secretary-general cannot influence the prime minister, why would Sim be any different?” he asked, referring to Loke Siew Fook.
Following the party’s defeat in the Sabah polls in 2025, Loke had said DAP would gather feedback and accelerate its reform agenda over six months with Anwar, who is also Pakatan Harapan chairman.
Kua also questioned whether Sim would address reforms within DAP at the party’s upcoming congress, saying it was “not all the government’s fault”.
Calls for reforms within DAP
One issue, Kua said, was whether DAP should adopt the “one leader, one elected legislature” principle.
“The other question to ask is how so-called ‘reformists’ only realise there is a problem when they are knocked out in elections. Are these not discussed in the DAP CEC meetings?” he asked.
Former Klang MP Charles Santiago also expressed bemusement at Sim’s remarks, pointing out that Sim is already a member of Anwar’s Cabinet as the entrepreneur and cooperatives development minister.
“They meet every Wednesday,” Santiago said, referring to Cabinet meetings.
“Is Sim saying that he did not push these policies then?” he asked, adding that such remarks could invite ridicule.
Santiago says reforms should not wait
Santiago also questioned why Sim needed to meet the prime minister to discuss policy plans only after Pakatan Harapan had suffered electoral defeats.
“People would have thought that meeting the prime minister to discuss plans was part and parcel of being in the Cabinet,” he said.
Santiago said the government could implement several “low-hanging fruits”, including a minimum wage for gig workers and a national school meal plan.
He said implementing such policies could even help the government win votes.
“It’s not rocket science. We already have the mechanisms. It is a matter of implementing them,” Santiago added.
