RECENTLY, there were rumours of a plot to prevent Anwar Ibrahim from becoming prime minister.

The exact mechanism wasn’t clear, but it was said to involve Hishammuddin Hussein and his supporters, and the removal of Amanah and DAP lawmakers presumably in favour of a bulk of PKR MPs, as well as those from PAS, Umno and Parti Warisan Sabah, to form a racially imbalanced “Malaysia Terbaru”. To do this, according to the theory, the ruling pact needs to be split.

It is difficult in conspiracy-powered Malaysia to not link the events of the past few weeks with this alleged back-door government agenda.

Though the Mohamed Azmin Ali sex video was purportedly engineered to split PKR, a scandal would have far less of an effect on DAP. The attempts to implicate Lim Guan Eng in “Bungalowgate” did not really gain traction, and the party, to its credit, has rarely used scandals to take on its enemies, as demonstrated by its reluctance to capitalise on the Chua Soi Lek issue with MCA.

Ideology, however, is another issue. Though usually sporting a united front, DAP is home to many ideological clusters. A majority of its members are Chinese, therefore, they would have adopted certain ideas of what Chinese politics should be like: some are pro-Taiwan, given that a good number of members pursued their tertiary education there, others are pro-China, and there are also those who share similar views as your average MCA or Gerakan member.

The Indians in DAP, too, have varying degrees of sympathy and support for various Indian causes – from local issues like estate workers, Tamil schools and deaths in custody to matters like the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and Kashmir.

Having an opinion does not necessarily mean supporting a cause, but as members of the global diaspora of Indians or Chinese, it is sometimes necessary to be educated and informed about these topics.

The newer members, those holding a more centrist view, may not have such ideas at all.

However, that is what makes DAP so attractive, especially to young, urban Malaysians. Its moderate stance allows it to tread issues easily and focus on the problem at hand, without being tied down by the rigidity of an official position other than the middle ground, a relatively acceptable “Malaysian Malaysia”.

To adopt a hard-line stance would be to go against a strong, established brand, and a proven strategy that served the party increasingly well in the last three general elections – its first standalone state win, first collaborative multiracial state win and first national win in its 40-year history.

Of course, DAP, being part of an international collective of parties as well as a member of the ruling coalition in Malaysia, is expected to voice out global concerns, but this should never be at the expense of its duty to ensure a positive national political narrative.

Playing to the gallery is easy when you are in the opposition, but like it or not, DAP has taken over the role previously shared by MIC, MCA, Gerakan, SUPP, LDP, and minor parties IPF and myPPP, or about half of Barisan Nasional. Its responsibilities include disseminating information on the government, running programmes, and serving as the intermediary between the federal and state governments.

This is a big role for a party with much fewer members and far less structure!

Internal spats due to different ideologies will only spread thinner a membership already contending with the combined strength of PAS and Umno, with real support only from PKR, as the younger Amanah and Bersatu have yet to have a firm hold on their grassroots machinery.

Having been in power for less than two years, it’s easy to want to go back to the opposition as it seems to be the “righteous” and “people-oriented” thing to do, especially for those who aren’t really in the loop of governing.

But a step back will reveal that the bigger challenge is preventing the government from falling into the hands of people who would love nothing more than to return to the good old days of kleptocracy, where DAP is just the irritating shout outside the gate rather than the people in the house with actual power to right wrongs and punish wrongdoers. – October 23, 2019.

* Emmanuel Joseph firmly believes that Klang is the best place on Earth, and that motivated people can do far more good than any leader with motive.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.