The Democratic Action Party (DAP) has just concluded its most intense party election in history, amidst the tussle over keeping or sending off “the god in the party.” DAP officially enters the era of Loke Siew Fook and the Lim dynasty comes to an end.

However, those who understand the saying of “barren land goes unattended, but once cultivated, many will fight over it”, they must be mentally prepared that the next party election will likely be even more intense.

Therefore, party members must remember that the party is strong when it is united and otherwise if it is divided. Party elections are a process of renewal and a test of survival for the party.

The decline of MCA (Malaysian Chinese Association), Gerakan and UMNO from their once-dominant positions serves as a mirror for DAP. It must be vigilant against internal fights as these could become the very demons that topple the party.

Where will be DAP heading under Loke’s helm?

The DAP is no longer an opposition party today. It holds power and enjoys the strongest support from the Chinese community. With this backing, the Chinese have high expectations and hope that the DAP will remain vocal to serve the community

However, the rocket has been accused of being too silent when it should speak up on many issues, earning the nickname of “a silent party.”

In response to this criticism, Loke strongly denied the accusation in his speech at the party congress, emphasising that the DAP, now a ruling party, must change the way it speaks.

“DAP is now part of the government. Our leaders do not only represent the party but also the nation. Therefore, communication should be taking place through dialogues and meetings, with the focus on finding solutions,” he said.

Loke is absolutely right—this is how a governing party should function.

However, when the MCA was in the government, it adopted the same approach but was criticised by DAP (the opposition then) for being “in power without authority”.

History is not just a mirror—it is often an ironic joke.

The current position of MCA is extremely awkward. Even though it is now an opposition party, it is still bound by the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition spirit and has been forced to follow its “big brother” UMNO to join the Unity Government. This feeling of dependence is unsettling—it is technically an opposition party but remains within the government, making it truly a case of power without authority.

For the DAP, although it now holds both power and authority, some of its leaders still cannot let go of their hostility toward MCA, seizing every opportunity to criticise and attack the latter, as if they are still stuck in an opposition mindset.

As political rivals, both are facing identity crises now.

The key difference between MCA and DAP is that MCA openly acknowledges itself as a Chinese-based party, whereas DAP, bound by its “Malaysian Malaysia” ideology, cannot publicly affirm its Chinese identity. Although it relies heavily on Chinese votes, the party is trapped in an awkward position as it can’t acknowledge that it is Chinese-based.

Nevertheless, as Malaysia is a multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religions country, DAP’s effort to gain Malay support is a correct move. Over the years, there has been some progress, but due to its strong Chinese identity, DAP has struggled to make significant breakthroughs. This is largely because its political opponents—especially UMNO and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (during his first tenure)—successfully labelled it as a Chinese party which is anti-Malay and anti-Islam.

I believe Loke will continue to lead DAP towards a multi-racial path, but this journey will remain difficult due to the deep-rooted racial politics in Malaysia.

DAP is now seen as a party full of talent, and the Chinese community indeed has high hopes for it. However, DAP must not take the support by Chinese community for granted. While upholding a multi-racial approach, it must also defend the interests of Chinese community. Loke’s leadership and his team will face challenges.

A few days ago, during a visit to meet representatives of Chinese education group Dong Jiao Zong, a confident Loke declared: “Chinese education matters are DAP’s responsibility.”

In contrast, when MCA was in power, it stated: “MCA will sink or swim with Chinese schools.”

Both statements reflect commitments to the Chinese community, and naturally, the Chinese will judge them by their actions.

Meanwhile, Gerakan, another party that once championed multi-culturalism, has been on a downward spiral since leaving BN. When it first exited the coalition, it was praised for being gutsy than the MCA, but the praises did not translate into votes. Today, Gerakan’s decline has reached a critical stage, with veteran members expressing despair in private.

As for MCA, many of its senior members and grassroots worry that if it continues following UMNO, it may never recover in future elections. Since its 2008 electoral defeat, MCA turns for the worse as many people feel it has never truly made a comeback.

MCA still has many promising young leaders, and I do not believe the Chinese community has completely abandoned it. But has MCA truly figured out its path forward?

In a country where Malays form the majority, political power will always be dominated by Malay-led parties. This is a reality which can’t be changed by both DAP and MCA. Thus, whether it is MCA or DAP, they must collaborate with one or more Malay parties to ensure that the multi-racial foundation of Malaysia is upheld, allowing all communities to share in the prosperity and stability of the nation.

The Chinese community hopes to see DAP and MCA engage in constructive debates for the interest of Chinese and other communities in Malaysia instead of getting trapped in endless mudslinging in public.

(Dato’ Kuik Cheng Kang is the Group Editor-in-Chief (Malaysia) at Media Chinese International Limited (MCIL). Sin Chew Daily is owned by Sin Chew Media Corporation Berhad, a subsidiary of Media Chinese International Limited. MCIL also publishes China Press, Nanyang Siang Pau and Guang Ming Daily.)