DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke has apologised to party delegates after failing to retain the Chennah state seat in the Negeri Sembilan state election on Aug 1.
Loke, who has held the Jelebu parliamentary seat since 2013, said he was disappointed that he could not defend the state constituency he contested, while acknowledging the setback as DAP’s secretary-general.
However, he stressed that his decision to contest Chennah was not driven by personal ambitions or an attempt to secure a political victory for himself.
Instead, the Transport Minister said he wanted to demonstrate that DAP could attract support from voters of different ethnic backgrounds, including in a constituency with a Bumiputera majority.
“I contested the seat with one hope – to prove that DAP can gain support from voters of various races and that we can also win in a Bumiputera-majority area,” he said.
Speaking at the DAP National Conference 2026 at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) today, Loke admitted that the objective had not been achieved.
He said DAP did not secure strong support from Malay voters, although the party received between 20 and 25 per cent of the vote from the community. Support among Orang Asli voters was also lower than expected.
“This is a major challenge for DAP – how do we break through this wall so that our political journey can go further?” he said.
Loke said DAP’s struggle should not be viewed as being centred on any particular ethnic group, but instead focused on advancing the interests and well-being of Malaysians as a whole.
He maintained that the party had never adopted an approach or policy aimed at opposing or being hostile towards any particular community.
According to Loke, DAP has faced accusations for decades that it represents only one race, making the perception a longstanding challenge for the party.
He said overcoming racial divisions in politics remained one of DAP’s biggest challenges, describing it as an issue the party had been confronting since the 1970s.
“Sixty years until today, the challenge we have faced, from the 1970s until now, remains the same – how we can break down the wall of racial politics,” he said.
