DAP does not need to abandon its secular nation agenda and ‘Malaysian Malaysia’ slogan because an understanding on this matter has been agreed upon among political parties in the ruling coalition prior to the formation of the unity government.
Party’s secretary-general Anthony Loke said before the unity government was formed, parties aligned with the federal administration had entered into an agreement not to interfere with the principles or constitutions of the respective parties.
Loke, who is also the Transport Minister, further said at the same time DAP has never demanded other parties to amend their constitutions, as each party has its own set of ideologies and struggles to champion.
“Umno President Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi himself was satisfied with our explanation before Barisan Nasional (BN) decided to cooperate with Pakatan Harapan (PH) and form the unity government.
“The provisions in the DAP’s party constitution that had raised concerns among Malays have already been explained.
“Having said that, I would like to stress here that DAP supports the position of Islam as the official religion of the federation, the status of Bahasa Melayu as the national language, and Article 153 in the Federal Constitution,” he told reporters after attending a ceramah organised by PH at Wisma DAP in Muar last night.
He was asked to comment on the calls made by Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed and MCA Vice-President Datuk Ti Lian Ker for DAP to renounce its “Malaysian Malaysia” slogan.
Nur Jazlan and Ti also demanded that DAP reevaluate its commitments, including the abolishment of systems that set aside Bumiputera quotas. Their concern was that such matters might hinder parties in the unity government from gaining and winning support from the Malays.
Loke added that such matters should not be discussed again, as they would create polemics that could subsequently affect the confidence of the people.
“To me, every quarter has its own views, and every party has its own struggles that they are championing.
“However, this should not be a problem when we work under the same political pact in the unity government. What is important now is the fact that we formed a unity government and cooperated to uphold and defend the federal Constitution,” he said.
Loke, who is also the Seremban member of Parliament, said it is best for parties in the unity government to focus on efforts to win the support of the Malays.
“The majority of the voters in my parliamentary constituency are Malays. Therefore, there is no issue that DAP is unable to win the support of the Malays.
“The people will evaluate us based on our performance and track record when providing our services in our constituency, instead of making decisions based on our ideologies,” he said. – NST