DAP gets new blood

Published in Today newspaper (Singapore) on July 24, 2007

 

WHEN social activist Lim Guan Eng took over the reigns of Malaysia's opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) three years ago, it was widely expected he would energise a tired party in dire need of an upgrade.

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For two years, there was very little change, and some people felt he had failed to live up to expectations. But he was actually quietly plugging away, fixing problems that had long been festering in the party.

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Mr Lim, son of DAP's chairman Lim Kit Siang, has a colourful history. In 1994, he was arrested and subsequently sentenced to 18 months jail for criticising the government's handling of statutory rape allegations against the former Chief Minister of the state of Melaka, Mr Rahim Thamby Chik. While the Attorney-General decided not to charge the politician, Mr Lim was charged for sedition.

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When I spoke to him shortly after he took over the helm of the DAP as secretary-general in September 2004, he used the word "entropy" to describe the party's situation and explained that it refers to a tendency towards disorder within a closed system, as potential energy gets spent.

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But he got down to work.

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He first raised funds to revamp the headquarters and built a new wing to accommodate more activities. Secondly, he wanted to inject new blood and change the party's image by roping in English-speaking professionals across the races.

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Over the years, senior, Chinese-educated, working-class people had become the DAP's base. While they were important to the party's continued success, the dominance of this demographic was a turn-off for others.

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Thirdly, he wanted to steer the focus of the party away from well-worn election issues of the past, such as harping about corruption, and instead move towards economic matters and the environment.

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He chose to focus on these two issues because "these are issues of the future — they are what the young people are concerned about," he said.

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It's taken a long time for the fruits of his labour to be apparent. The first major coup happened in February when Internet millionaire and Oxford graduate Tony Pua joined the DAP as economic adviser to Mr Lim. Although a political newbie, Mr Pua will be contesting in the next general election.

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"People like Tony are not the kind of people who you'd normally expect to join the DAP," Mr Lim says matter-of-factly. "This is an indicator of things to come."

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In the coming weeks, the party will be introducing a fresh line-up of candidates for the next general election to complement the old guard.

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It's widely expected that Mr Jeff Ooi, the country's most famous social-political blogger will soon be joining the ranks of new DAP election candidates. Mr Ooi, who declined to comment, is currently a member of Gerakan, a component party of the Barisan Nasional government. If the rumours prove to be true, a high-profile defection like this would generate a strong positive buzz for the DAP.

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"Securing personalities like Tony and Jeff would be a clear sign that this is not your father's DAP, but one that's in tune with the Internet generation," says a political analyst who knows both Mr Pua and Mr Ooi.

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Political watchers believe that the general elections, which has to be held by 2009, will take place as early as November.

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Sources also said that vendors who supply the government with posters, as well as schools which serve as voting centres, have been told to be on standby.

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"There will be some positive lingering feelings the government will drum up with the 50th Merdeka celebrations," said Mr Lim, referring to Malaysia's Independence Day which falls on Aug 31.

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The economy is also holding up quite well with the stock market booming, which might not be the case next year.

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Another crucial factor is that by next April, former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who was sacked in 1998 and served six years in prison for sodomy and corruption, would be eligible to contest in the elections. So, the elections aren't likely to be far off.

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"More than wanting to deny him the chance to contest, the government doesn't want him out campaigning," says Mr Lim Kit Siang. "Publicly, the government may dismiss him as no longer relevant but there's no question Anwar's still a factor in determining the timing of the election."

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The elder Lim is confident the opposition would do much better than in 2004, when the government secured 92 per cent of parliamentary seats. Two recent by-elections showed a clear shift in non-Malay votes towards the opposition.

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"In 1999, many Malays were upset with the government over Anwar's sacking but the non-Malays were less moved," he said. "Now, the non-Malays are the ones who aren't happy. If we can get enough Malays to support the opposition, the result could be transformational."

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Mr Lim says that denying the government a two-thirds majority is a possibility. That would be transformational indeed, as it has never happened in the 50 years Malaysia has been around.

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Oon Yeoh is a writer and commentator based in Kuala Lumpur.