Penganalisis beza pandangan mengenai strategi DAP ‘kekal buat masa ini’

Among political analysts, reactions to the DAP's decision to remain in the Cabinet have been mixed. From two analysts interviewed by FMT, Syaza Shukri from Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIAM) said the party still had room to regain trust if it used its position in the government to pressure for the promised reforms. Oh Ei Sun from Singapore-based Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, however, believed there is little DAP could achieve within the Cabinet at the moment to recover its support base.

The representatives attending a special congress on August 16 to determine the party's future inside the government voted overwhelmingly to keep their leaders in the Cabinet until the end of the current term. A representative from Kuala Lumpur, Sangeet Kaur Deo, summarized the sentiment of the representatives when saying the party needed to stay for now despite rising discontent among supporters.

However, Sangeet, a member of the DAP Kuala Lumpur executive committee, said the party needed to reassess its relationship with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and regain its vote. She noted too much compromise made the party look weak. The special congress came after a huge defeat for DAP in the Sabah PRN, as well as heavy losses for Pakatan Harapan (PH) in Johor and Negeri Sembilan.

It was not too late for DAP to maintain its decision to stay in the Cabinet if it pressed harder for reform and ensured its coalition partners were responsible, Syaza said. The party should show that progress in realizing the promised reforms was due to its presence in the government, she added. That approach was better than simply highlighting the performance of individual ministers while blaming Anwar or other party members when reform stalls.

"DAP cannot just say, 'we have good ministers, but failure in certain reforms is primarily the prime minister's fault or that of other allies'," Syaza said. Syaza argued from a public perspective, the government was seen as a single entity rather than a combination of components with separate responsibilities. She said reforming the institution offered the best opportunity for DAP to show its influence because such steps were less likely to be seen as ethnic politics.

"What DAP needs to show is the government moving forward with institutional reform because DAP is there to drive and ensure promises are kept," she said. Syaza said decline in support at the polls alone should not be a reason to step down, as it could make the party appear trying to avoid responsibility for the government's failure.

Oh, who offered a different perspective, said the government's defeat seen by Malay voters could see continued DAP support erosion because ministers are tied to the responsibility principle within the Cabinet. Oh cited the example of the haram or non-permissible mosque issue as one of the complex issues. He said Anwar's February directive to local authorities to take action against a Hindu temple built without proper authorization would only push away non-Malay voters.

In July, Anwar apologized for using the term "haram" when discussing the issue and acknowledged it was a mistake. Over that issue alone, Oh said it was better for DAP to leave the Cabinet but still support it in the Dewan Rakyat. "In that way, DAP can show its dissent against the decision it disagreed with without bringing down the government," he told FMT.

He believed the party would expose itself to a greater risk if it stayed in the Cabinet but failed to implement the expected changes. "The party needs to strengthen support from non-Malay society. If it doesn't, it will not only fail to get the support it desperately needs from Malays, but also lose its traditional non-Malay support. Ultimately, it will become like Gerakan," he said.