PETALING JAYA: DAP has not lost much support despite claims by its adviser Lim Kit Siang that the party will lose 30%-40% of its votes if an election is called now, political analysts said.
Lim said this is due to the misperception and misunderstanding about the DAP in the Pakatan Harapan government and the problems faced by the coalition.
Political analyst Prof Dr Ahmad Atory Hussain said the issue of khat calligraphy being introduced in vernacular schools should be seen as a political gimmick used by politicians to gauge sentiment of the people.
“I don’t see a problem whether or not khat will be introduced in schools, there’s no point forcing people to write khat calligraphy if they don’t want to.
“But what really matters is that the Pakatan Harapan government gets down to the things that matter, like boosting the economy, or fulfilling its election manifesto for the next five years,” Ahmad told theSun yesterday.
Another political analyst, Dr Lim Teck Ghee, said although DAP has strived to become a political party represented by all races, it will be a slow process as it had endured decades of Umno propaganda.
“Much of the popular perception – fed by several decades of Umno propaganda – is that DAP is a Chinese party. This is only partially correct as the party’s record on past controversies has been focused more on national concerns.
“The party needs to stand up for its principles as a progressive, democratic and secular-based party fighting for the common Malaysian cause of good governance, justice and freedom,” Teck Ghee said.
He chastised the party for its slow, inadequate response and not being in conformity with the expectations of the thinking and demanding voters.
“The concerns with the introduction of khat are serious, logical and rational,” he said.
