Quit as DAP sec-gen too over Najib’s conditional pardon, Loke told

Urimai chairman P Ramasamy has urged DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook to resign from both his positions if he believes the party has failed in its political direction following Najib Razak's conditional pardon. Ramasamy, a former DAP leader, emphasized that it is more important for Loke to accept political responsibility as secretary-general rather than just resigning as transport minister.

Ramasamy questioned whether Loke is serious about resigning from the Cabinet, as his resignation would only become effective when Najib begins serving the remainder of his sentence under house arrest. He pointed out that the goalposts seem to have shifted from initially announcing the resignation linked to Najib's pardon to the timing of Najib's house arrest.

Ramasamy also challenged Loke's claim that DAP still commands about 80% of Chinese voters' support, stating that securing even 40% at the 16th general election would be a considerable achievement. He urged Loke to stop assuming that the Chinese community would be politically abandoned without DAP, emphasizing that the Chinese community is politically capable of making their own choices.

Ramasamy noted that DAP does not have a monopoly over Chinese aspirations and warned against assuming that Chinese voters have nowhere else to go. He also mentioned that the greater danger lies in DAP underestimating the options available to Chinese voters. Loke's 80% figure was based on recent state election results, though he acknowledged that achieving 90% would be challenging. Ramasamy stressed the need for DAP to rebuild support beyond its traditional base ahead of the 16th general election.