DAP Votes to Stay in Anwar's Government Despite Poll Losses
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- DAP held a referendum at its Aug 16 national conference in Putrajaya, with 1,857 of 2,223 participating delegates voting to remain in PM Anwar's Cabinet and 242 voting against; only 52.1% of over 4,000 delegates stayed on for the vote.
- The party's 40 parliamentary seats make it the largest in Anwar's Pakatan Harapan coalition, keeping the government's majority viable before the next general election must be called by February 2028.
- Anwar acknowledged at his own party congress the same day that DAP is "a stumbling block to winning Malay votes," saying some Negeri Sembilan voters told PKR they would have voted for his party without DAP in the picture.
- Pakatan Harapan suffered defeats in Sabah (Nov 2025), Johor, and Negeri Sembilan (Aug 1), with the BN-PN pact winning the latest state via "Malay unity" messaging; DAP failed to win any of 8 seats it contested in Sabah.
- Secretary-General Anthony Loke tabled reforms including separating the attorney-general and public prosecutor offices, imposing a two-term limit for the prime minister, and advancing an anti-corruption agenda at Cabinet level.
- Dissent surfaced from Kuala Lumpur delegate Sangeet Kaur Deo, who accused Anwar of "pitting allies against each other" by empowering UMNO, while grassroots delegates raised concerns over e-invoicing thresholds and RON95 fuel subsidies hitting ethnic Chinese SMEs.
Why it matters: DAP's 40 seats keep Anwar's coalition alive through the 2028 deadline, but his own admission that the party costs him Malay votes exposes a structural problem staying in power won't fix — and the reforms Loke publicly demanded could become leverage for a future exit threat if the coalition's slide in Sabah, Johor, and Negeri Sembilan continues.
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