DAP's change of political alignment, especially its cooperation with once sworn-enemy Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), will spell doom for the party.
Sparks ignited when four of its elected representatives in Malacca, namely assemblypersons Lim Jak Wong (Bachang), Chin Choon Seong (Kesidang), Goh Leong San (Duyong), and Kota Melaka MP Sim Tong Him quit the party after becoming disillusioned with its aligment.
They cited the loss of confidence in DAP leadership and the party's deviation from its original struggles as reasons to quit the party. Chin also cited his concern over DAP's "dangerous" approach in winning Malay support.
Former DAP vice-chairperson Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim said the exit by the quartet came as no suprise due to their long-standing dissatisfaction with the top leadership, and the party's alignment with Mahathir's Bersatu was the final nail in the coffin".
"What happened to the (Malacca DAP) state leaders is not totally unexpected. It is something that is likely to develop into an exodus of its grassroot leaders and party members.
"Dissatisfaction in DAP's top leadership, especially with Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng, has always been at a high, and the alignment between Kit Siang and Mahathir has made matters worse," he said when contacted by Bernama.
Abdul Aziz said the recent development would have a ripple effect on DAP and besides the exodus, it would also affect the support of non-members of the party.
"The DAP membership is small but the party's strength lies in the support of non-members, and this could be seen when these supporters helped create a different fortune for DAP in the last general election.
"There may be a change now (to the level of support) when many in DAP are not what they made out to be... but really what we have seen recently in the party is just something to suit the personal needs of the 'Lim Dynasty'," he said.
With the quitting of the four, the DAP in Malacca now has only three state seats held by Tey Kok Kiew (Bandar Hilir), Khoo Poay Tiong (Ayer Keroh) and Lai Keun Ban (Kota Laksamana), and no parliamentary seat.
Others may follow suit
Political analyst Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said DAP would certainly be impacted by the resignation of the four long-time party members.
"It's not one but four party leaders, surely there's an effect, in addition, there are now two groups of DAP supporters; one which is still with the party or its leaders and the other, who might follow suit by quitting the party.
"We have to wait first and see the overall effects of the latest development on the party, as it is obvious that DAP has an internal crisis. So, we'll see whether this will lead to a bigger problem."
Sivamurugan, who is with Universiti Sains Malaysia's School of Social Sciences, said the conflict between two blocks of leaders in DAP, namely supporters of the Lim Dynasty and their opponents, was clear now.
He pointed out that prior to the resignation of the four, no party leader had openly stated their opposition to the cooperation between DAP and Bersatu.
"The dissatisfaction over DAP-Bersatu cooperation could just be an excuse by the four, who may have for long, been dissatisfied with the party leadership.
"It could also be their calculated move against the Lim Dynasty which is seen as trying to get back at Malacca DAP, where Guan Eng and his wife had lost before in the state party elections in the year 2000. Whatever it is, I believe there will be more interesting developments after this," he said.
- Bernama
