Loke minta maaf kalah di Chennah, akui cabaran tembusi sokongan Melayu

DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook begged forgiveness from party congress members on Saturday for his loss in the Penang state legislative assembly seat of Chennah. PUTRAJAYA: Loke Siew Fook, the senior deputy of the DAP, sought forgiveness from party congress members today over his defeat in the Penang state legislative assembly seat of Chennah during the September 1 PRN Nine Elections.

Loke explained that his participation in the election was not merely for personal gain, but to prove that the DAP could garner broader support from voters of various ethnic groups. However, he acknowledged that this mission had failed as the party failed to gain the support of Malays and Orang Asli in the expected levels. "I beg forgiveness from the representatives for this loss in Chennah," he said while speaking at the congress, emphasizing that DAP needs to find a way to break down the political barriers if it wants to expand its reach among the people.

The Transport Minister lost to Barisan Nasional candidate Siow Kong Choon with a majority of 688 votes in the PRN. Loke also announced his resignation as the chairman of the DAP in Negeri Sembilan, a position he held for 22 years, due to his responsibility for the loss in Chennah and Repah. Despite the party's win in nine seats and its failure to retain two seats, Loke reminded DAP members that they should not weaken their fight, as the party had experienced many losses throughout its history.

"Win or lose, we have experience in 60 years of elections. We have faced many defeats at the beginning of our struggle, but we never gave up and kept moving forward. As long as we do not give up, the future of DAP will be accepted by the majority of Malaysian people," he said.