DAP must give its all to make the “unity government” work to safeguard its interests as a multicultural party, its secretary-general Anthony Loke said today in a radio interview.
Loke said that the current coalition government — comprising Pakatan Harapan (PH), Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, and Gabungan Bersatu Sabah — under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim upholds the multicultural and multireligious aspect of Malaysia.
“If this government fails, what is the option? The option is that you have a coalition that does not believe in multiculturalism.
“That just talks about one single race and religion in this country.
“So that is not an option for us, as far as DAP is concerned, as far as I am concerned,” he said during an interview on radio station BFM’s The Breakfast Grille programme.
Loke, who is also transport minister, said that this was the reason that DAP takes a step back on certain contentious issues and allows Anwar to manage a government that contains 19 parties, which are also split into several coalitions.
He added that “like it or not”, Anwar is currently the best leader to helm such a diverse government.
“We are a senior and a very close partner to the prime minister, so if we do not give him that room and that understanding to support him, he will face a lot of difficulties.
“Of course, there are people who say that are we being dumb right now, or are we so afraid of speaking up,” he said, referring to the DAP as coalition partner to Anwar who is PKR president and chairman of PH.
“It’s not an issue of speaking up, speaking up is easy, but how to manage a very delicate situation, that is the challenge,” he said.
Loke was asked about his views on controversial issues such as certain Malay leaders pronouncing that only Malays should be prime minister of the country, and about how DAP was given only four ministerial positions despite winning 40 seats in the 15th general election last November.
Loke said DAP accepted a disproportionately lower number of cabinet positions because the party chose to compromise on certain matters.
This includes anticipating problems that may arise due to the increasingly polarised political landscape in the country, especially with regard to race and religious issues.
In addition, Loke also noted that cabinet appointments are the prerogative of the prime minister.
“Of course (the polarisation) worries us and that is why we made certain decisions. If we are not constantly aware of those issues, I can just make a lot of noise.
“Like why are we only given four minister positions? Because at the back of my mind, we know there is polarisation in society.
“It is dangerous to the fabric of our country and that is why we take certain steps back to ensure this government can function,” Loke said.
When asked about the party’s bottom line that they will not cross in any cooperation, Loke said the party is “very well aware” of what they will not compromise on.
However, he said they do not want to put it out in the open as the party wants to focus on the common ground among allies, instead of their differences.