SHAH ALAM, March 16 — DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke has proposed several institutional reforms within the party, saying they are crucial for its future direction.
During his keynote address at DAP’s 18th Congress at the Ideal Convention Centre (IDCC) in Shah Alam today, the Seremban MP noted that with DAP now having close to 80 MPs and 100 assemblymen, certain issues need to be addressed to prevent internal strife.
Loke pointed out that with the party growing rapidly, competition for positions is intense, with about 1,500 candidates vying for 100 available seats.
He stressed the need for a transparent and fair selection process.
“We need a mechanism to evaluate why a person is chosen. The leadership will ultimately make the decision, but it will be based on this new evaluation system for everyone to see.
“Secondly, I want to announce that we intend to institutionalise the candidate selection committee and make it part of the party’s constitution. There will be parties claiming this committee has no legitimacy as it’s not in the constitution.
“Not a problem — we will place the committee in the party’s constitution to legitimise it,” he added.
Loke said these changes would be formulated today, with the best mechanisms identified, and must be ready within 18 months for debate at the party’s 2026 convention.
Meanwhile, he also addressed the process for DAP members receiving honorary titles.
“When a Sultan wants to confer a title like a Datukship on one of our members, the party’s rules currently do not allow them to accept it. But if they refuse, it may be seen as rebellious or disrespectful to the Sultan.
“Now, I’m not saying I want a Datukship, ya. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is strict about titles, so I will remain as Encik or ‘saudara’. But if there are nominees for titles, it must be brought to the central executive committee (CEC) for case-by-case consideration with more flexibility.
“There must be stipulations. We can’t have a culture where someone joins DAP and, within three months, starts pestering the exco and ministers for honorary titles. I hope this will be discussed, and a more flexible policy can be established,” he said in his speech.
“In addition, for future elections, we also want a permanent head of Parliament. Nga Kor Ming is very busy as a minister, so the CEC will choose a new head soon. We will also appoint a new director of policy and an election director. These roles will be made official and included in the constitution as well,” he added.
