KUALA LUMPUR – Is DAP the kingmaker or bogeyman of Malaysian politics?
The party has been around for 55 years, but it has always been on the fringes of Malaysian politics, until 2008 when – riding on the crest of wave of anger against the then ruling Barisan Nasional government – it captured the Penang state seat and won 28 parliament seats.
The recent 14th general election (GE14) also saw the number of MPs from DAP increasing to 42 – the largest number in the current opposition.
DAP had six cabinet ministers, and several deputy ministers in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.
It is a testament of the Malaysian people and their mandate that DAP has emerged as one of the strongest political parties in the country in recent years.
Though it has a good working relationship with PKR and Amanah, it is also known for its no-nonsense and firebrand politics.
The latter has led to DAP being labelled as a Chinese chauvinistic party by Umno.
Some Umno leaders distanced themselves from Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s bid to form the next federal government, citing not wanting to work with DAP as the reason.
In February, Sarawak deputy chief minister Tan Sri James Masing, who represents GPS, the state’s ruling party said they will not support a coalition that has DAP in it.
DAP’s image as the villain of the piece
Political analysts say DAP's tactics play into the hands of its rivals which drum it up as the villain of the piece in ethnic Malay polity.
Independent political analyst Khoo Kay Peng said DAP does suffer the bogeyman syndrome as it is synonymous to the Chinese in Malaysia and a symbol of dissent.
However, Khoo did note that DAP still holds a significant influence with its large parliamentary representatives.
"For example, Anwar, (Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and (Datuk Seri) Shafie Apdal would need their support if any one of them wants to become a prime minister without working with the core members from Umno, PAS and GPS," he said.
He also said that while DAP has been trying for the longest time to shed its Chinese party image, it will be a tough task because the party has never been led by a non-Chinese.
"The party fought against Gerakan and MCA by claiming to be better protectors of the community. Its grassroots are being fed with the same message," he said.
He added that DAP needs a reset and can start by promoting its few Malay leaders.
Meanwhile, Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Dr Oh Ei Sun said the larger socio-political landscape in the country is that the majority of Malays are still very conservative and they hold on to their rights and privileges very dearly.
"That's why when Anwar said he has the numbers to form the government, he also said that the majority of the lawmakers backing him were ‘Malay Muslims’. This was to assure them that their rights will be safeguarded," he told The Vibes.
On one hand, DAP's slogan of “Malaysia for Malaysians” implies a certain level of meritocracy for the Malaysian society.
"This is antithetical to the majority conservative Malays, especially those in the Malay heartlands, so Umno conveniently takes full advantage to paint DAP as the Chinese chauvinist bogeyman," he said.
On the other hand, the Chinese in this country currently have nowhere else to turn to because other Chinese-based parties have not done their part to safeguard their rights, and it is only normal for them to seek refuge in DAP.
"DAP has become a stumbling block for any serious party that would like to form the government because the majority of Malays simply cannot accept DAP," he said.
Oh added that if DAP tries to shed its image by going all out to win the hearts and minds of the Malays, it may end up losing the traditional core support of the Chinese.
"DAP is caught between a rock and a hard place, therefore I think it is very difficult for it to go beyond the non-Malays as well as progressive Malays and break into the larger part of the Malay core voters. It is simply too tall an order," he said. – The Vibes, September 30, 2020
