The 're-branding' move of opposition DAP which will include amending its 40-year-old party constitution could be met with some voices of discontent at its national convention slated for this Sunday.

Party leaders had earlier announced that DAP's constitution will be overhauled from the initial six-point objectives to a more all-encompassing 18 points.

Under the proposed amendments, the constitution will include a clearer definition on the party's stance on various issues such as gender equality, workers' rights and local government elections.

However, the bone of contention is one of the proposed amendments changing the wordings of the party's struggle for a 'democratic socialist' pattern of society to that of a 'social democracy' society.

This has since led to heated internal debates on whether the party was abandoning its socialism agenda.

DAP Wanita chief Chong Eng said she was not surprised with the intensity of the internal debates as the party's central executive committee (CEC) took about six months to discuss the proposed amendments.

She said even members of the CEC, the party's highest decision-making body, had expressed different views over the proposal which was adopted unanimously later.

Merely appeasing?

"We feel the time has come for us to rephrase our spirit and objectives (as stipulated in the constitution) and to expand its scope and make it better defined," she said when met yesterday.

"I believe the DAP is a good brand already but we need to enhance it, (by using) certain words to fit in with the present time and to be better received by the younger generation," she added.

Chong, who is also Bukit Mertajam MP said the proposed amendment of 'democratic socialism' to 'social democracy' did not appear to be a vast difference to her.

"It is just like whether I want to introduce myself as Chinese Malaysian or Malaysian Chinese? Whether nationality or ethnicity comes first. To me, no vast difference there," she stressed.

Another CEC member, who requested anonymity, however questioned whether there was a real need to amend the wordings as the amendment would not bring about significant changes.

"As the party is going to be the same with our MPs fighting for the same issues, are we changing the mindset or just trying to appease the people? I am more inclined to believe it's the latter," he said.

He also opined that tit was inappropriate to argue that this amendment was needed to be in line with current trends as a political party should be firm on the core spirit of the party's struggle.

Conceding that he has also endorsed the proposed amendment, he however claimed that "it is rare to have direct opposition (within the CEC) against what the secretary-general says."

All 18 amendments - backed by party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng - will be tabled by the CEC on Sunday to let party delegates debate during a closed-door session. They will be adopted if they obtain a simple majority by a show of hands.

The party will then forward the adopted amendments to the Registrar of Societies.

Closed-door question

Another amendment likely to a heated debate is a new clause which reaffirms Bahasa Malaysia as the national and official language while guaranteeing the right for other mother-tongue languages to be studied and used.

Some have viewed this as a backward step since the party had previously declared its struggle to have Mandarin and Tamil recognised as official languages alongside Bahasa Malaysia.

When contacted, secretary-general Lim reiterated that the proposed amendments did not mean the party was forfeiting its ideology or struggle.

"Basically we just want to put it in more current terms. For example, we want to identify the political ideology [...] we are centre left, not hard left," he told malaysiakini .

"There is no departure from the socialist orientation," he emphasised.

On why the party's convention remains a closed-door session when other political parties have been transparent with theirs, Lim answered: "That will be decided by the delegates."

DAP chairperson, Karpal Singh, who is expected to open the national convention come Sunday, declined to comment on the thorny issue when met yesterday.

"We should let the delegates discuss and decide on Sunday," said the wheelchair-bound Karpal who is still recuperating from injury after a traffic accident last year.

The opposition party is celebrating its 40th anniversary tomorrow with a 'DAP: A Malaysian success story' photo exhibition at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur and this is followed by a one-day convention on Sunday.