DAP has warned that it expects to face an intense election campaign in the upcoming Negeri Sembilan state election, claiming that rival parties will rely on race-based narratives to undermine support for the party.
DAP Secretary-General Anthony Loke said the party anticipates being blamed for various issues in the state throughout the campaign period, which officially begins this Saturday.
“We know our opponents’ most effective campaign tactic is to blame DAP for everything that happens in Negeri Sembilan. That has always been their narrative,” he said after launching Pakatan Harapan’s operations centre and introducing the coalition’s new candidate for the Temiang State Legislative Assembly (DUN) seat.
Loke claimed the strategy is intended to place Pakatan Harapan (PH) and its component parties on the defensive by portraying DAP as the source of public grievances.
“They will say everything is DAP’s fault and that DAP must be rejected. We can already see Perikatan Nasional, especially PAS, beginning to push this narrative. Their goal is to see us lose, even if they themselves cannot win,” he said.
The Seremban MP alleged that a similar strategy was used during the recent Johor state election, claiming that opposition parties chose not to field candidates in many constituencies and instead backed Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates in an effort to defeat PH.
He said the approach had even been acknowledged by a veteran political leader now aligned with PAS, adding that PH would continue explaining to voters the importance of turning out in large numbers on polling day.
Meanwhile, Loke, who also serves as DAP Negeri Sembilan chairman, called on BN component parties MCA and MIC to clarify their positions following PAS’ announcement that it is prepared to cooperate with BN and support an UMNO candidate as Menteri Besar if the alliance wins the 1 August state election.
Loke said both parties owed the public an explanation regarding their stance on the proposed cooperation, while acknowledging that political parties have the right to form alliances.
“I want to know the position of MCA and MIC. PAS has said that where UMNO and PAS incumbents contest against each other, they will respect the incumbent arrangement. The public deserves to know where BN’s component parties stand,” he said.
He added that MCA and MIC should enter the Negeri Sembilan election with a clear and transparent position rather than, in his view, remaining silent as they allegedly did during the Johor state polls.
