Despite delivering the most seats for Anwar's government, DAP suffers fate as opposition

In October 2019, police arrested 12 DAP members under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act for their alleged links to the defunct Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

In response, leading DAP members, who were then part of the government, protested and appealed to the authorities to release them and condemning Sosma as repressive. 

Four months later, the government collapsed, ending DAP's first experience with power at the federal level.

Despite being part of the federal government for the second time - and this time as its biggest partner - DAP leaders are still frequently subjected to police questionings, unlike PKR or Umno politicians who rarely get called up. 

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has been reluctant to publicly defend his key ally despite its instrumental role in placing him for the top post.

A police investigation into DAP vice-chairman and Seputeh MP Teresa Kok has once again raised the issue of how the party is being treated despite providing much-needed numbers for the government's survival as Malay support for Pakatan Harapan continues to wane.

With 40 MPs, DAP is not only the largest party in PH but also has the largest parliamentary share in the coalition government.

Kok had criticised a proposal from Mohd Na'im Mokhtar, the minister in charge of Islamic affairs, to extend the government's halal certification to restaurants that do not serve pork or alcohol, typically a reference to non-Muslim-owned eateries that also cater to Muslim customers.

The remarks sparked a storm of criticism, with DAP supporters defending Kok and Umno leaders - keen to showthat the party was not playing second fiddle to DAP - seizing the opportunity in the hope of winning back Malay support.

Analyst Liew Wui Chern said the latest episode showed that although DAP is the largest partner in government, its fate is not much different from that of MCA, the Chinese component of the once-ruling Barisan Nasional, which dominated the government for decades.

He pointed out how MCA was accused of being subservient to Umno under the BN government, despite delivering the much-needed Chinese votes in every general election before 2008.

"Their grassroots and supporters will start to think that DAP has now become MCA, experiencing the same treatment that MCA received under BN before the 2010s," said Liew.

Liew said any action against Kok would not go down well with DAP supporters, who are already questioning the party leadership's silence on many issues since it allied with Umno to prevent Perikatan Nasional (PN) from returning to power in the last general election.

Liew said whether DAP members were unhappy with the way Kok was being handled in the halal controversy could be seen from the results of the upcoming DAP elections in Penang.

"If the Guan Eng camp wins a landslide victory, then the issue will have no impact on the grassroots," he said, referring to DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng.

Kok is largely counted among a faction in DAP led by its secretary-general Anthony Loke, who in turn is allied to the so-called Lim dynasty, a reference to Guan Eng and his father, former chairman Lim Kit Siang.

Kok's remarks, in which she objected to a proposal by Na'im to require halal certification for non-Muslim-owned restaurants frequented by Muslims because they do not contain pork, led to her being investigated under Section 298 and Section 505(b) of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, laws often used to silence opposition leaders and government critics.

Kok is not the only one in a long line of DAP leaders to be repeatedly targeted for statements related to Malays and Islam, which some see as an attempt by the Anwar government to show that its rule is Malay-centred despite a lack of support from the community.

James Chin from the University of Tasmania said the reaction of  DAP rank and file will depend on whether Kok is charged.

"Unless she is charged, DAP supporters will not react," he said.

Even before the issue surrounding Kok's comments, many have questioned the silence of DAP leaders in the case of deaf e-hailing driver Ong Ing Keong, who was assaulted by a police officer accompanying the Johor royal entourage.

Former minister Zaid Ibrahim, whose entry into DAP was greeted with much fanfare by the party leadership, recently reminded Loke that DAP had defended people like Ong in the past.

"MCA and MIC were the ‘little brothers’ of Umno in terms of number of seats. But DAP has the most number of seats compared to the others in the coalition government.

"DAP must flex its muscles to ensure that power and positions have not attenuated the loud promises of reforms, justice, good governance and fairness it rode on to win votes," Zaid was recently quoted as saying by PH-friendly news outlet Malaysiakini recently.

He said DAP's silence to put pressure on the authorities to bring charges against Ong's attacker has resulted in the matter now sitting on the prime minister's desk, referring to a memorandum sent to Anwar earlier this month.

"The failure to prosecute the individuals involved in this case has undermined confidence in our country's justice system," reads the memorandum by 36 organisations and around 150 individuals representing various professions and backgrounds.

Some of the harshest comments about DAP leaders have come from former Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy, whose resignation from the party last year was seen as an expression of deep-seated anger against the Lim dynasty.

" DAP leaders are tamed and well-behaved these days. Power has gone to their heads. They are worse than the MCA leaders," Ramasamy told MalaysiaNow, adding that very few top politicians had come out in defence of Kok over the halal certification controversy.

"The DAP leadership is not strong as before. They have sacrificed their struggle in return for power, positions and perks.

"Kok did not raise anything controversial, but merely argued against mandatory implementation of halal certification. Later she sought to hide behind the argument that her statement was misunderstood or distorted," he added.