DAP Secretary-General Anthony Loke has described allegations that he wanted to become the Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan and even a Tok Undang as one of the most extreme personal attacks he has faced throughout his political career.
Loke said the claims were baseless and formed part of a smear campaign that fuelled negative sentiment among Malay voters during the two-week campaign for the Negeri Sembilan state election (PRN).
“There were countless false accusations claiming that I wanted to seize power from the Malay leadership, become the Menteri Besar and take control of the entire state administration.
“I had to confront and fight all these lies and baseless allegations. Despite that, we continued to stand firm and fought until the very end,” he said during a press conference.
Loke acknowledged that personal attacks and misinformation are part of politics, but admitted that some people believed the allegations even though they were initially spread as sarcastic or provocative remarks.
Reflecting on the election results, Loke said he was still proud to have secured 47 per cent of the total votes, including an estimated 20 to 25 per cent support from Malay voters, despite losing the contest by only a few hundred votes.
He said the narrow defeat, by around three percentage points, was part of the democratic process and should be respected.
“I respect the outcome. I have no regrets because I fought until the very end. Even if I lost, I lost with dignity,” he said.
Despite losing the Chennah and Repah state seats in the election, DAP retained nine seats in the Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly, namely Bahau, Nilai, Lobak, Temiang, Bukit Kepayang, Rahang, Mambau, Seremban Jaya and Lukut.
