Malaysia’s DAP sidelines Lim Guan Eng in move that risks alienating minority base

Lim is known for being very vocal against corruption in Malay-majority Umno, with which his party is now trying to build ties

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DAP members (from left) Gobind Singh Deo, Lim Guan Eng and Anthony Loke. Photo: Facebook/ Lim Guan Eng

Published: 4:50pm, 18 Mar 2025

Malaysia’s Democratic Action Party (DAP), the largest party in government, has sidelined one of its key figures, pugnacious grandee Lim Guan Eng – leaving experts to warn that it risks losing ground with its base of Chinese and Indian minorities as it cosies up to a bitter political enemy from the Malay majority.

The DAP, long seen as the bridgehead into power for Indian and Chinese minorities, elected Anthony Loke for a second term as secretary general on Sunday. The vote was taken to be an indicator of DAP’s future direction, especially its will to continue working with former ruling party and erstwhile rival Umno inside Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government.

Party delegates on Sunday also voted in droves for over a dozen key leaders seen aligned with Loke, 47, relegating his predecessor Lim to near the bottom of the list of 30 candidates who qualified for the party’s powerful central executive committee (CEC).

That dilutes the influence of Lim, a political heavyweight who led the party for nearly two decades, shaping its narrative against the corruption allegedly perpetrated by Umno, which draws support from the Malay-Muslim majority.

“This CEC is closer to Umno compared to the last. It will impact the [political] ground,” said political analyst and long-time Malaysia watcher Bridget Welsh.

The DAP is the biggest party in Anwar’s administration, holding 40 of the 222 seats in parliament and seen as the key representative for the country’s economically powerful ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.