DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke (left) casting his ballot on Aug 16 to decide whether the party should stay in the federal government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. — Photo The Straits Times/ANN

PUTRAJAYA — Malaysia’s Democratic Action Party (DAP) voted to remain in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government at its national conference that gathered over 4,000 delegates, held in Putrajaya for the first time on Aug 16.

But only 2,223 delegates – a turnout of 52.1 per cent – stayed on for the referendum, which saw 1,857 votes in favour of remaining in the Cabinet, 242 votes against and seven spoilt votes, while 117 delegates did not cast their vote.

The choice of Putrajaya, the country’s administrative capital, as the conference venue reflected the party leadership’s determination to remain in federal power. The result cemented its commitment to staying in Anwar’s government.

After the result was announced, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke thanked the 84 per cent of the delegates who attended the referendum and voted for the party to stay on. He had tabled the motion for the vote earlier in the morning.

“Some reforms have been agreed upon, and we hope they will be implemented not only within Pakatan Harapan (PH) but also at the Cabinet level, including the separation of the attorney-general and public prosecutor (offices), a two-term limit for the prime minister, and the anti-corruption agenda,” he told reporters in the evening.

When asked why half of the delegates did not participate in the vote, Loke said the turnout rate was considered high for a party congress without an election. He explained that some grassroots members, including hawkers and petty traders, may have had to work over the weekend.

The decision eases pressure on Anwar, whose administration had faced the prospect of collapse and an early general election following a string of electoral setbacks. Malaysia’s next nationwide polls must be called before February 2028.

With 40 seats in Parliament, the Chinese-dominated DAP is the largest party in the PH ruling coalition, making its decision critical to Anwar’s ability to maintain his parliamentary majority and remain in office.

Anwar’s PH has suffered defeats in Sabah and Johor, and its latest setback came on Aug 1 when it lost control of Negeri Sembilan. The Barisan Nasional (BN)-Perikatan Nasional (PN) electoral pact won the state by avoiding three-cornered fights and banking on a “Malay unity” campaign.

DAP had called for a party-wide referendum on whether it should remain in Anwar’s Cabinet after failing to win any of the eight seats it contested in the Sabah state election in November 2025.

All 14 state delegates who participated in the debate session before the poll at 1pm supported the party to stay in the government.

Perak delegate Jason Ng pointed out that political opponents, such as the Malaysian Chinese Association and PN, led by Parti Islam SeMalaysia, would have benefited from DAP’s walkout.

Perak DAP was the only state whose leaders collectively agreed to stay in the federal government.

Among the discussed reforms raised in the debate were increasing the minimum threshold for e-invoicing, and reverting the subsidised RON95 petrol and diesel quota to 300 litres from the existing 200 litres. The former is a major concern among ethnic Chinese small and medium-sized enterprise owners, who worry that it would increase their cost of doing business. — THE STRAITS TIMES/ANN