DAP’s wipeout in Sabah state election shows party losing core Chinese support, says former MP
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Mr Santiago said Sabah’s results were not a fluke but a message.
ST PHOTO: MUZLIZA MUSTAFA
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KUALA LUMPUR - DAP’s crushing defeat in the Sabah state election is more than just a “local political tremor”, says former Klang MP Charles Santiago.
The DAP man said the party’s wipeout in all eight seats it contested on Nov 29 was “a full-blown backlash”, especially among Chinese voters who once formed the party’s core support.
“It showed that people are tired of being taken for granted. When your most loyal base turns away, it is not a warning sign anymore - it is a verdict,” he said in a statement.
“And if DAP thinks this anger is confined to Sabah, it is deluding itself. The same resentment is simmering in the peninsula as people are tired of a party that seems unsure of what it stands for whenever power is at stake.”
He said DAP must return to fundamentals such as people-centred issues, the rising cost of living, governance, accountability and public service.
According to Mr Santiago, the party also needed to address perceptions of arrogance.
“A sense has taken root that the party preaches more than it listens. That has to end.
“Voters don’t owe any party their loyalty; parties owe the people humility and hard work,” he said.
Mr Santiago added that DAP’s longstanding identity as the party of ordinary Malaysians had become “blurred”, and its future would depend on whether it chose to return to being grounded, disciplined and service-oriented.
He also said that Sabah’s results were not a fluke but a message, and whether the party listens now will determine if this is just a setback or the beginning of a nationwide slide.
Meanwhile, PKR central leadership council member Lee Chean Chung echoed the warning, saying Pakatan Harapan must not assume that urban voters will automatically stay with the coalition.
“It is a warning that Pakatan’s integrity and progressive offering appear unclear and unreliable.
“This is not just a Sabah issue; without real change, a nationwide backlash may follow,” he said.
DAP’s top guns in Sabah were wiped out in all eight seats the party contested in the 17th Sabah Election.
Those who lost include Sabah DAP chief Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe in Likas, the party’s two-term incumbent, Ms Jannie Lasimbang in Kapayan - which has been a DAP stronghold since 2013 - and Sabah DAP deputy chairman and Kota Kinabalu MP, Datuk Chan Foong Hin (also Deputy Plantation and Commodities Minister), in Tanjung Aru.
Sabah DAP secretary and Sandakan MP Vivian Wong was also defeated in the Elopura, new face Chan Loong Wei lost in the Luyang state seat, while Ms Noorita Sual failed in Kemabong, Mr Alex Thien lost in Tanjong Papat, and Mr Philip Yap lost in Sri Tanjong.
In 2020, DAP won six seats, namely Likas, Luyang, Kepayan, Sri Tanjong, Elopura and Tanjong Papat. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
