Malaysia state polls: DAP's Anthony Loke says it's a battle for stability, as campaigning hits final stretch

When the chief of Malaysia's Democratic Action Party (DAP) addressed a campaign stop in the Malay-majority seat of Batang Kali in Selangor on Monday, his message was clear - a vote for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's unity government in no way diminishes the political power of the country's largest ethnic group.

Speaking before a small crowd of Malay armed-forces veterans and locals, Anthony Loke - the secretary general of the Chinese-led DAP - said it would be unreasonable for the six non-Malay ministers in Anwar's 28-member cabinet to have an outsize say on public policy.

"There are five Chinese ministers and one Indian minister, and cabinet decisions are made on consensus. How does that diminish the political power of the Malays?" Loke said. "The prime minister is Malay, a deputy prime minister is Malay, the home minister is Malay ... there is no way that Malay political power will be eroded."

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The opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) alliance has pushed Malay political power as a key campaign issue ahead of Saturday's polls in six states, which come nine months after a November general election where the Islamist PAS' "green wave" swept up heartland Malay votes.

More than 9.7 million people are registered to vote in 245 constituencies this weekend in the PN-held states of Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu in the north of the Malaysian peninsula, as well as in the pro-federal government states of Negeri Sembilan and the two richest states in the country, Selangor and Penang.

The outcome of the state polls will have little bearing on federal power, but PN leaders have positioned it as a referendum on Anwar's administration and its alleged failure to address persistent cost-of-living issues in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Loke, who is transport minister, said it was "misleading" for the opposition to claim that the state polls were a referendum on the federal government when they were in fact a limited measure of the performance of the six state governments over the last five years.

He added that there was no basis behind claims that giving the DAP a share of federal power would chip away at the interest of the Malays - who account for more than 60 per cent of Malaysia's 33 million population - especially when it was also a key argument employed in the past by rivals-turned-partners Umno.

"We have been addressing this issue for a long time. Logically speaking, the Malays do not lose anything in terms of political power. It's just different parties and personalities [assuming power]," Loke told This Week in Asia.

"It is a work in progress. We can't see it in the short term. At the respective ministries where we have DAP leaders, we try to bring a more moderate image for DAP.

"We are seeing more positive comments on social media, and it looks like we have a higher acceptance level among the Malays," he added.

But Loke admitted the threat remains of the "green wave" - so-called to reflect the party colour of the Islamist PAS, a key member of PN that benefited from a shift in Malay votes in November's general election.

PN leaders have claimed they would come within striking distance of taking federal power if they register a strong performance in the state polls, including wresting power from PH in Selangor.

Loke said the federal government would remain intact regardless of the outcome of the state polls, but stressed that a bad result for Anwar's administration would lead to a prolonged period of political instability.

"If there is a change of the [federal] government in a big way, it would be very bad for the economy and the nation. Everyone in the unity government is committed to ensure that this does not happen again," he said, referring to 2020's political coup.

"To me, maintaining the three states is the minimum target we need to achieve. Anything above that is a bonus and will only strengthen the unity government," he said.

"If the results are not good for us, it will only empower the destabilising forces to keep going all year round."

Anwar rose to power in November after the king granted him the top job on condition that he form an administration that included friends and foes, to cool temperatures after a racially-charged national election that saw a distinct shift in Malay votes in favour of former leader Muhyiddin Yassin's PN coalition.

The arrangement gave a way back into government for former ruling party Umno, which were left with just 28 of parliament's 222 seats as their traditional Malay support base abandoned them for PN.

Umno had led the country for six decades, spanning Malaysia's independence from Britain in 1957 to the party being unceremoniously booted out in 2018 in the wake of widespread anger at allegations of rampant corruption, including the multibillion-dollar 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal linked to disgraced former leader Najib Razak.

Najib was jailed in August last year after failing to overturn a conviction for corruption and abuse of power involving 42 million ringgit (US$9.2 million) linked to a former unit of 1MDB. He and his supporters deny any wrongdoing.

PH campaigners, including from key coalition member DAP, have said that the partnership with Umno has made for a difficult proposition for supporters from both sides, in light of decades of political enmity.

Loke, however, believes that the state polls have helped bring grass-roots members from both sides closer as they worked together to ensure that candidates under their perpaduan (unity) campaign do well.

"Any adjustment takes time ... but the state elections have helped bring together our [election] machineries," he said.

"Our grass-roots members are voters as well. If they are not convinced of this unity government, how are we to expect non-members to vote for us?"

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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