To leave or to stay? Penang and Kedah DAP remain undecided

Penang and Kedah DAP have yet to agree on whether their respective branches should remain in or withdraw from the Madani government. The fate of their decision-making will be determined at a special congress in Kuala Lumpur. The DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook held a briefing that did not yield a clear outcome, as he departed without addressing the media. Penang DAP chairman Steven Sim Chee Keong and Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow also declined to comment.

DAP veteran Datuk Seri Phee Boon Poh suggested that the DAP should stay, but with certain conditions. Meanwhile, Kedah DAP chairman Tan Kok Yew stated that the final decision will be made by the delegates at the congress. Lay Hock Peng, DAP national veterans' club chief, echoed this notion, emphasizing that the grassroots should decide, not the central executive committee.

DAP national veterans' club chief Lay Hock Peng also echoed this sentiment, believing that the party trusts the delegates to determine its course of action. Penang DAP delegates, numbering around 900, are believed to have the maturity and wisdom to decide the party's future. Nationwide, 4,000 delegates are eligible to vote on the matter during the special congress.

Former DAP veteran Jeffrey Chew Gim Eam cautioned against viewing the party's primary political adversary as the people, but rather as the Islamist party PAS, which seeks to exploit race and religion to alienate supporters. DAP party leadership in Penang and Kedah diverged from Perak's decision, where DAP adviser Datuk Seri Ngeh Koo Ham advised the DAP to remain in the government to prevent rivals from capitalizing on the situation.