By Olivia Miwil
KOTA KINABALU: DAP delegates must carefully weigh the party's continued participation in the government when they vote on its direction at the national congress next week, says its National Policy Director Datuk Chan Foong Hin.
Chan said a motion would be tabled at the Aug 16 congress, allowing more than 4,000 delegates to debate and vote on the party's direction.
DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook confirmed earlier this week that delegates would vote on a motion concerning the party's continued participation in the government.
Chan, who is also Sabah DAP deputy chairman, said there was growing dissatisfaction among the grassroots, particularly over recent political developments.
"Some of the DAP supporters are questioning whether our participation in the government over the past 3.5 years has delivered enough institutional reforms.
"The race and religious cards are also frequently used in state elections. Should we still make friends with Umno at the federal level?
"I would also say the current political development is very complicated, very fragmented, as the line between friends and foes is very blurred now at the federal level.
Chan said he was confident delegates were mature enough to assess the political situation, particularly with the Madani government having about another year left in its term.
"But I think the fundamental question we should ask ourselves is, what should we do for the remaining term?
"The upcoming Budget, scheduled to be tabled in October, is very important as we still need working numbers in Parliament to pass it. If the Government fails to pass the Budget, it is equivalent to a loss of confidence.
"If we still want to pursue these two major institutional reforms — limiting the Prime Minister's tenure to 10 years and separating the powers of the Public Prosecutor and Attorney-General — we still need a two-thirds majority," he said.
Chan added that he hoped the institutional reform Bills would also be tabled during the next parliamentary sitting.
In March, the Dewan Rakyat failed to pass the Bill seeking to limit the Prime Minister's tenure to 10 years after it received 146 votes in favour, with 44 members abstaining and 32 absent.
Meanwhile, Chan said his team aimed to reach out to low-income groups in the Kota Kinabalu constituency through the mobile programme, which also sought to update its database, provide assistance and inform residents about available aid.
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