PETALING JAYA: Retaining three state governments is a must while the unity government is looking forward to win another, says DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook.

Admitting that this is not an easy task, Loke, who is also Transport Minister, said based on the current situation, the outcome is likely to be for the unity government and Perikatan Nasional (PN) each winning three states.

“We hope to retain Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan,” said Loke.

Three states each most likely eventuality

“Judging from the results of various polls, it is more practical for us to keep our existing three states, which we should be able to achieve,” he said.

The unity government will be in a disadvantaged position if it loses any of the three states, he told Sin Chew Daily in an exclusive interview yesterday.

PN would want to win four states, Loke said, but this would not be easy for them.

“Looking at the political scenario in Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah, it will not be easy for us to win four states too,” he admitted, even though he agreed this was not impossible.

“PAS is facing some degree of pressure in Kelantan as it fails to deliver after ruling the state for more than 30 years,” he asserted.

“I can see that PAS’ plan to hold an 80,000-people rally this Friday shows that the party is worried the voters in Kelantan will dump them,” he said.

Loke said DAP must secure convincing victory in the states it is contesting in order to become a key factor in forming a ruling coalition.

“Penang is playing the key role here for sure. We have 19 state seats and will be facing some form of pressure.

“In Negeri Sembilan, there are some state seats which are mixed constituencies. We should not be complacent,” he cautioned.

In Selangor, Loke said many of the state seats are 60% Malay-majority.

“We should be working towards securing the support of the 40% non-Malay electorate,” he said.

DAP is also playing a crucial role in state seats contested by other parties under the unity government.

“We need to ensure that DAP is able to cast positive influence in these seats to get our supporters to vote for unity government’s candidates,” he said.

Battle in Selangor crucial for unity govt’s survival

Loke said the state election result in Selangor would bring stability to the unity government.

If Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) are able to retain Selangor, PN is no longer a threat to the government over the next few years, he said.

Loke pointed out that the election results in Selangor would be crucial, as a victory for Selangor should crash PN’s future plan over the next few years.

“Everyone should be mindful that despite public polls revealing that we are not going to lose Selangor, we have to be cautious and should not be complacent,” he said.

Based on records of past elections in the three states and the public polls, over 40% of Malay voters would still support Pakatan Harapan.

Selangor is relatively stable with public polls showing more than 60% of voters supporting the Selangor Menteri Besar.

Loke said when he met with Selangor state assemblymen two weeks ago, he cautioned them not to take the election lightly.

Except for Sekinchan state assemblyman Ng Suee Lim, none of the incumbent DAP state assemblymen has been in the opposition before.

“The threat still exists in Selangor. We should not be facing the state election with a “sure win” mentality. This is risky. We are facing an ambitious opposition keen to take over us. So we are giving our best to defend the seats.

“Although the main battleground is the Malay seats, we should not be relaxed. This is because we have many mixed constituencies, especially in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan. The trend of Malay voters is important to us,” he explained.

‘Handle same issues in a different approach’

Many feel that DAP is no longer as vocal as it used to be after the party became a part of the government.

Anthony Loke admitted that DAP’s position today is very different.

“Each of these issues (quota, secular state, UEC, etc.) is very important, but we need to know very well where we stand today.

“We are a ruling party, a part of the government. If we criticize the prime minister just for what he says today, how is this cabinet going to work?

“Is DAP prepared to quit the cabinet and let the unity government fall? I feel that many people still don’t quite understand the situation we are in today.

“We need to handle these issues in a different approach.”

Loke also mentioned about the archrival-turned-ally MCA.

“Please don’t forget that DAP now has 40 MPs in parliament out of a total of 148 for the unity government. If we pull out, this government is going to fall.

“When MCA pulled out of BN back in those years, the government didn’t collapse!”

It is no secret that Perikatan Nasional is eyeing to capture Selangor from Pakatan Harapan, but will Selangor’s fall signal the end of the federal unity government?

Not quite, said Anthony Loke, although he conceded that PN’s triumph in incumbent PH states would put a great deal of pressure on Umno, indirectly causing political instability in the country.

“They make Selangor their primary target, a stepping stone to Putrajaya, but I don’t think their win will bring down the unity government instantly, as state and federal administrations are two separate things altogether.

“GPS has made itself very clear that they will support the unity government for a full five years. This is their open promise.

“And it is also not possible for the BN to change their position half-way.

“Although there is no imminent danger of collapse for the unity government, we must do our utmost to evade this possibility.”