Three strikes, DAP’s out? Loss in Malaysia’s Negeri Sembilan puts coalition on notice

The Malaysian ruling coalition’s poor showing in the Negeri Sembilan poll on Saturday marks its third straight defeat in eight months – an embarrassing run that is forcing its largest party to confront the cost of governing with former rivals. Pakatan Harapan (PH) won 11 of the state’s 36 seats on Saturday, down from 17 in 2023, while Barisan Nasional (BN) secured 18 and its electoral partner, Perikatan Nasional (PN), took seven. The setback followed PH’s near-wipeout in Sabah last November, where it won only one of 20 seats, and its rout in Johor three weeks ago, where it secured eight seats against BN’s 48. The losses have become a national problem for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whose coalition took power after the inconclusive 2022 general election by joining BN, a bloc it had spent decades opposing. The symbolism was most damaging for the Democratic Action Party (DAP), the Chinese-majority but officially multiracial party that holds the most parliamentary seats within PH. DAP Secretary General Anthony Loke lost Chennah, which he had represented since 2013, while former chief minister Aminuddin Harun of Anwar’s People’s Justice Party (PKR) was defeated in Linggi. Umno veteran Ismail Lasim was sworn in as Negeri Sembilan’s new chief minister on Sunday, returning BN to power in a state PH had governed since 2018. ‘Last straw’ DAP nevertheless remained PH’s strongest component, winning nine of the 11 seats it contested. PKR won two of 16, while smaller party Amanah failed in all nine constituencies it contested. Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani, vice-president of political consultancy The Asia Group, said Loke’s loss “could be the last straw for DAP” after three consecutive poor state elections. “It is especially damaging because Loke has been the main advocate of patience, pragmatism and restraint within the unity government,” he said. “The result shows that DAP can no longer take its traditional supporters for granted.” DAP entered government in 2022 promising institutional reform and cleaner administration, but has since had to defend compromises it made to accommodate Umno, BN’s dominant party, while absorbing anger over the slow pace of reform. Loke defended that approach in an exclusive interview with This Week in Asia early last month, describing himself as “always pragmatic” and saying DAP’s 40 federal lawmakers would back Anwar until the end of the parliamentary term because the party would not “stab at the back of our allies”. The party lost all six seats it previously held in Sabah. In Johor, it won six of 17 and lost four incumbencies, before surrendering Chennah and Repah in Negeri Sembilan to BN’s Malaysian Chinese Association. Loke could have moved to a safer constituency with a larger Chinese electorate but chose to defend Chennah – where consolidated Umno and Islamist party PAS support, together with weaker-than-expected backing from the indigenous Orang Asli community, proved decisive, according to Wong Chin Huat, a political-science professor at Sunway University. Though DAP remained dominant in urban seats – such as Lobak, Mambau and Bukit Kepayang – it had become a “punching bag” for liberal and minority voters unhappy with Anwar’s government, Wong said. Coalition squeeze The strain between the federal partners has already spilled into Melaka, the next state expected to hold an election. PH withdrew from the BN-led state administration last month after its five assemblymen opposed a constitutional amendment allowing up to seven unelected legislators. Its departure ended the local unity arrangement even as PH and BN remained partners in Putrajaya. Melaka’s December deadline gives DAP’s internal debate greater urgency ahead of its national conference on August 16. Loke Pak-Yen, a senior analyst at BowerGroupAsia, said DAP’s senior leadership appeared to remain behind Loke – although the defeat could give the party’s old guard, led by former secretary general Lim Guan Eng, an opening to reassert itself. “The bigger threat, though, isn’t Loke’s leadership itself but PH’s overall cohesion, as talk of DAP distancing from the unity government gains ground heading into the party’s national congress,” she said. DAP Negeri Sembilan reaffirmed its support for Loke in a statement on Sunday. “The loss of Chennah and Repah is a disappointment but it is not Loke’s fault and he should not be made responsible for it,” the statement said, adding that the party needed his “charismatic” leadership to face the challenges ahead, including the general election. In an interview with local radio BFM last month, Loke said DAP delegates would decide by secret ballot at the party’s coming national conference whether it should remain in government. While he wanted the party to stay, he would respect the outcome, he added. BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has said the BN-PN arrangement in Negeri Sembilan was a test to decide if it should be extended to Melaka and the next general election. “That means PH’s internal debates may not have the luxury of playing out slowly,” analyst Loke said. DAP national chairman Gobind Singh Deo on Sunday said the party accepted the result “with full humility” and would do some soul-searching. “The message from the electorate is clear,” he said. “We must and will undertake a thorough assessment of the outcome, listen carefully to the concerns of the people and work hard to regain their confidence and support.”

Three strikes, DAP’s out? Loss in Malaysia’s Negeri Sembilan puts coalition on notice

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}DAP chief Anthony Loke’s defeat in Chennah, which he has represented for 13 years, is a big blow to the ruling coalition’s largest party

DAP chief Anthony Loke’s defeat in Chennah, which he has represented for 13 years, is a big blow to the ruling coalition’s largest party