Malaysia’s Anthony Loke quits as Negeri Sembilan DAP chief after state poll loss

Democratic Action Party (DAP) secretary general Anthony Loke has announced his resignation as the party’s Negeri Sembilan chairman following its performance in the recent Malaysian state election.Loke announced his decision after a DAP central executive committee (CEC) meeting on Monday night, saying it was the right time for new leadership to take over the state chapter.“In the Negeri Sembilan state election that just ended, we managed to retain nine seats,” he said.“Comparatively, we are stronger than in 2004. So I feel this is the best time for someone else to take over Negeri Sembilan DAP.”Loke said his successor as state chairman would be chosen from among the current committee members.He added that his resignation as state chairman was a personal decision and not due to pressure from any quarters.“There was no pressure for me to resign. In fact, many CEC members, including Lim Guan Eng, asked me to continue as state chairman.“But I explained that this is my personal decision, and I feel it is the right time to hand over the responsibility because I have been chairman for 22 years,” he said.Loke said DAP believed in collective responsibility and that no single leader should shoulder everything alone.The Malaysian transport minister lost the Chennah seat to MCA’s Siow Kong Choon by 688 votes on Saturday, ending his bid for a fourth consecutive term as assemblyman.Anthony Loke (right) takes part in an election campaign. Photo: Facebook/DAPMalaysiaLoke had previously served as Lobak assemblyman from 2004 to 2013 before moving to Chennah, which he represented from 2013. He remains the three-term Seremban MP.Further ReadingHowever, Loke said he would continue to serve as DAP secretary general after receiving the backing of the party leadership.“I will focus on my role as secretary general. With the support and confidence shown by the entire CEC, I feel I have the responsibility to continue carrying out this duty,” he said.Loke also said the CEC had decided that DAP’s coming national conference on August 16 would table a motion for delegates to decide whether the party should remain in government until the end of the current parliamentary term.He said the decision would not be made by the CEC alone, but by the party’s grass roots through its delegates.“In the national conference on August 16, a motion will be tabled to the delegates to determine whether DAP remains in government or otherwise.“This decision will be made by the delegates, not the CEC. There are more than 4,000 delegates eligible to attend the national conference, and we will leave it to their wisdom to decide whether DAP should remain in government until the end of this term, or otherwise,” he said.Loke said this was in line with the party’s democratic process.“For major decisions like this, it should not only be decided by CEC members, but by the party delegates at the national conference,” he said.This story was first published by The Star