DAP lawmakers have been told to cool their war of words with their Bersatu colleagues until the Tg Piai by-election is over, said party sources.

During a closed-door meeting at the DAP headquarters last Thursday, MPs and assemblymen were advised to stop their attacks on the Malay party to preserve Pakatan Harapan unity.

“The party leadership also urged all the elected representatives to support Bersatu despite recent events,” one lawmaker told The Malaysian Insight.

He said recent comments from Bersatu leaders have caused uneasiness among DAP grassroots, making it extra hard to motivate them to campaign for its candidate Karmaine Sardini.

DAP’s support is crucial for Karmaine because the seat is 57% Malay and 42% Chinese voters.

In the run up to the by-election, Bersatu supreme council member and Malacca exco Mohd Rafiq Naizamohideen called on his party to reconsider its co-operation with DAP.

Rafiq’s open letter was in response to DAP assemblyman Ronnie Liu’s statement that his party could still form government without Bersatu.

The comments from both representatives appeared to have damaged the cohesion enough for DAP Johor chief Liew Chin Tong to speak up about the parties’ need for each other.

Another assemblyman who attended last Thursday’s meeting told The Malaysian Insight that secretary-general Lim Guan Eng promised to “deal with” the situation internally.

“He asked us not to issue any more statements. The party wants us stop for now and let the secretary-general issue statements so that the public knows the party’s position.

“The party also promised to have another closed-door briefing to discuss the issues facing DAP and come out with a new strategy to respond to political attacks,” said the lawmaker.

Another MP who spoke to The Malaysian Insight on condition of anonymity said the representatives were also reminded not to comment on Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s transition issue in public to prevent escalating the friction with Bersatu.

DAP, which in opposition was vocal against the government, has come under pressure from its grassroots for keeping silent on a number of issues.

These include the university matriculation quota for non-Malays and teaching khat in vernacular schools, silence which has proved costly for the party.

Meanwhile, the arrest of five DAP lawmakers and seven others – under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act for allegedly trying to revive the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) movement – has also damaged its standing. – November 5, 2019.