Malaysia's #1 Content Aggregator
OPINION | Why Is DAP Suddenly "Under Attack" From All Sides…?!!!
8 Jul 2026 • 12:00 PM MYT
Credit Image: Focus Malaysia.
Some might wonder: Why has the DAP suddenly come under intense fire from multiple quarters?
Is there a conspiracy brewing out there?
True, the scent of elections is already in the air, but why have the party's political foes started sharpening their knives so early?
Inevitably, it had to start in Johor—the birthplace of UMNO and the so-called cradle of the Malay nationalist movement. With the state election looming, the political temperature seems to have hit a boiling point there.
Last month, Johor’s popular Menteri Besar, Onn Hafiz Ghazi, caused an almighty stir after vowing he’d rather quit than sit at the same table as the DAP. It caught everyone in the Unity Government with their pants down—not just the DAP, but PM Anwar Ibrahim himself!
What Onn Hafiz said carries massive weight, not just in Johor but nationally. He is a highly popular figure with both the people and the palace, thanks to his reputation as a diligent, hands-on leader.
As if that wasn't enough, soon an even bigger bombshell was dropped from a most unlikely source.
Recently, during his royal address at the opening of the new Shah Alam LRT3 line, the Selangor Sultan publicly reprimanded former Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng and Tony Pua. The Ruler called them out for originally downsizing a vital public project under the guise of cost-cutting.
Lim and Pua, who served in the Mahathir-led PH government from 2018 to 2020, then respectfully explained that the goal back then was to save billions in public funds splashed on “mega-projects” by the previous administration.
Sure, His Majesty’s rebuke was aimed at the duo as individual public officials, not at the DAP as a party. But it didn't help that lavish praise was heaped on ex-PM Najib Razak and current PM Anwar Ibrahim for finally bringing the project to fruition.
The thing is, in politics, perception and optics always override reality. In this case, didn't DAP's credibility take a direct hit?
No doubt, the raucous anti-DAP mob—from PAS and Bersatu to UMNO—would have felt completely vindicated. And for sure too, they were licking their lips in delight, watching their favourite political target receive a “public slap” from the palace itself—never mind if the royal rebuke was deliberately spun and milked for maximum political mileage.
Then it was the turn of the maverick Nga Kor Ming to drag his party into the crosshairs. Trying to remind everyone that the DAP still has principles, the Housing and Local Government Minister declared he would be the first to resign if Najib Razak walks free following a BN landslide in Johor.
But wasn't Nga just boldly stating the obvious?
Shouldn't he and the DAP quit the Madani government anyway if that became a reality?
Some might wonder: Why has the DAP suddenly come under intense fire from multiple quarters?
Is there a conspiracy brewing out there?
True, the scent of elections is already in the air, but why have the party's political foes started sharpening their knives so early?
Inevitably, it had to start in Johor—the birthplace of UMNO and the so-called cradle of the Malay nationalist movement. With the state election looming, the political temperature seems to have hit a boiling point there.
Last month, Johor’s popular Menteri Besar, Onn Hafiz Ghazi, caused an almighty stir after vowing he’d rather quit than sit at the same table as the DAP. It caught everyone in the Unity Government with their pants down—not just the DAP, but PM Anwar Ibrahim himself!
What Onn Hafiz said carries massive weight, not just in Johor but nationally. He is a highly popular figure with both the people and the palace, thanks to his reputation as a diligent, hands-on leader.
As if that wasn't enough, soon an even bigger bombshell was dropped from a most unlikely source.
Recently, during his royal address at the opening of the new Shah Alam LRT3 line, the Selangor Sultan publicly reprimanded former Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng and Tony Pua. The Ruler called them out for originally downsizing a vital public project under the guise of cost-cutting.
Lim and Pua, who served in the Mahathir-led PH government from 2018 to 2020, then respectfully explained that the goal back then was to save billions in public funds splashed on “mega-projects” by the previous administration.
Sure, His Majesty’s rebuke was aimed at the duo as individual public officials, not at the DAP as a party. But it didn't help that lavish praise was heaped on ex-PM Najib Razak and current PM Anwar Ibrahim for finally bringing the project to fruition.
The thing is, in politics, perception and optics always override reality. In this case, didn't DAP's credibility take a direct hit?
No doubt, the raucous anti-DAP mob—from PAS and Bersatu to UMNO—would have felt completely vindicated. And for sure too, they were licking their lips in delight, watching their favourite political target receive a “public slap” from the palace itself—never mind if the royal rebuke was deliberately spun and milked for maximum political mileage.
Then it was the turn of the maverick Nga Kor Ming to drag his party into the crosshairs. Trying to remind everyone that the DAP still has principles, the Housing and Local Government Minister declared he would be the first to resign if Najib Razak walks free following a BN landslide in Johor.
But wasn't Nga just boldly stating the obvious?
Shouldn't he and the DAP quit the Madani government anyway if that became a reality?
Screenshot of news headline and image from Free Malaysia Today.Almost instantaneously, UMNO Deputy President Mohamad Hasan and Melaka Chief Minister Ab Rauf Yusoh came out with guns blazing, telling Nga to pack his bags and leave. But if one were to look deeper: could that have been a veiled "good riddance" call to the entire DAP line-up in the Madani government?
After all, it is not a secret that many in UMNO want more say in running the government, including clearing the path for Najib’s full royal pardon.
But surely Nga, a no-nonsense, battle-hardened politician, isn't that naive. His resignation ultimatum was likely a clever exercise in reverse psychology—a desperate attempt to jolt and remind his party's disheartened base that the DAP hasn't completely lost its spine. While at the same time reminding its enemies that the party was still very much alive.
Actually, hasn't the Teluk Intan MP been one of the rare DAP stalwarts in the Madani government who actually dared to speak out and challenge the status quo?
The harsh truth is this: ever since the inception of the Unity Government, non-Malay and urban voters have watched with a mounting sense of despair as the DAP continued to shamelessly bend over backward to appease UMNO and the conservative majority.
It’s as if DAP leaders had lost their fangs overnight, forced to swallow their pride and play the ultimate submissive partner purportedly just to keep Anwar in power. Even when they were bullied and called "bodoh" by their own Madani coalition partners—especially UMNO Youth—the party's top leadership seemed to remain somewhat passive.
Of course, the pinnacle of the entire tragedy came when the controversial Selangor state guidelines on non-Muslim houses of worship were exposed. It was the ultimate humiliation for a party that built its reputation on championing the rights of minorities. The once-gallant party that tried to play the submissive "good guy" role in the Unity Government was finally cornered—with nowhere to run or hide!
Now, the real question is whether Anthony Loke and his lieutenants have finally woken up. Lest it be forgotten, they were also perceived to be “less than vocal” under Dr. Mahathir's second stint as PM.
Are they now prepared to admit that playing second fiddle to UMNO—or any other political allies for that matter—is a colossal tactical blunder; one that should never be repeated?
Like it or not, the DAP has been sacrificing its core principles for the sake of political stability by seemingly gagging itself and refraining from openly touching on the sensitivities of its coalition partners.
But was that sensitivity and goodwill ever reciprocated by UMNO in any way?
Instead, with a string of state elections coming up ahead of GE16, isn't UMNO now overtly “ganging up” with the opposition to kill off its own ally?
In truth, many already saw all this coming!
So shouldn't Loke and the DAP now stop playing the apologist, admit the missteps, and show their true colors? Isn't it time for the fearless, traditional torchbearers of the minorities and the marginalized in this country to rise and return to their roots?
The DAP leadership must realize that the party has to steadfastly stand its ground—for the sake of the very people who keep voting for them and who depend on them. That is where their loyalty belongs. Period.
Ultimately, the days of bending over must end—now! With the upcoming state polls and the general election next, the DAP should have learned the painful lesson that in the dog-eat-dog world of politics, there is no such thing as goodwill and sacrifice—only self-interest and self-preservation at the expense of others!
No comments:
Post a Comment