DATUK Seri Ti Lian Ker has taken aim at DAP Secretary-General Anthony Loke Siew Fook, accusing him of hypocrisy and declaring that the Democratic Action Party has effectively become "MCA 2.0" — the very party it spent decades vilifying.
Ti, a former MCA vice-president, made the statement via Facebook following Loke’s recent remark that “DAP can function without MCA,” which Ti described as the fourth public insult directed at MCA by the DAP leader.
“Anthony has again stirred controversy with his arrogant tone,” said Ti. “Previously, he stated he ‘doesn’t like MCA’, mocked us by saying he ‘doesn’t care about MCA’, and once even told us ‘don’t flatter yourselves’. Yet with each sneer, he seems oblivious to the fact that DAP itself is becoming MCA 2.0.”
Anthony Loke had earlier dismissed any need for collaboration with MCA, saying the DAP could thrive without support from the Barisan Nasional component party, which has repeatedly tried to distance itself from DAP.
For decades, Ti said, DAP ridiculed MCA as submissive to UMNO and voiceless within the Barisan Nasional coalition.
“They promised to be different — brave, outspoken, and uncompromising,” Ti wrote. “But what do we see today? Local council elections are shelved, UEC recognition has vanished, and institutional reforms have gone silent.
“Worse, DAP chooses silence on major issues involving its coalition partners. If MCA was once seen as submissive to UMNO, then DAP today is even more subservient.”
Ti also accused DAP of abandoning one of its most symbolic justice causes — the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock, who died in MACC custody in 2009.
“Teoh Beng Hock became a symbol against oppression. DAP once promised justice for his family. Lim Kit Siang even apologised to them for failing to deliver on that promise. Where was Anthony then?
“Was Kit Siang’s apology a subtle rebuke of the new DAP leadership, especially Anthony, for failing to carry the torch?”
Ti contrasted Anthony’s leadership with the party’s earlier stalwarts, saying, “Kit Siang and Karpal Singh were respected for their ideals and courage. Anthony? He lacks both the aura and conviction. If anything, he more closely resembles Ling Liong Sik — a former MCA president associated with political compromise.”
He added, “Ironically, Ling was at least consistent. Anthony presents arrogance without the political courage DAP once promised.”
Ti said Anthony’s attacks on MCA only serve to expose his own weaknesses, claiming that under his leadership, “DAP is no longer bold, no longer vocal — merely a hollowed-out version of its former self.”
“DAP once rallied under cries of ‘change’ and ‘fight to the end’. Today, under Anthony Loke, those ideals have been replaced by political kowtowing.”
He further accused DAP of abandoning its principles for power. “Those who once promised local democracy now delay it. Those who vowed to seek justice for Beng Hock now leave that cause behind as a painful memory.
“MCA, though smaller and seen by some as irrelevant, has remained consistent. DAP, once seen as a beacon of hope, has become a louder, more arrogant version of MCA — with more broken promises.”
Ti ended with a warning to Loke: “Anthony must be cautious with his words. The Chinese community isn’t waiting to hear insults hurled at MCA. They’re waiting to see whether DAP can truly do better. Sadly, under Anthony, all they’ve received is MCA 2.0 — wrapped in rhetoric and failure.” - August 25, 2025
