• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • RSS
  • Archives
  • Subscribe
The Nut Graph

The Nut Graph

Making Sense of Politics & Pop Culture

  • Projects
    • MP Watch
    • Found in Conversation
  • Current Issues
    • 6 Words
    • Commentary
    • Features
    • Found in Quotation
    • News
  • Columns
  • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Found in Malaysia
  • Multimedia
    • Audio
    • Pictures
    • Videos
  • Corrections
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Vault
    • Found in Translation

Karpal on the DAP

By Deborah Loh

February 1, 2010

DAP chairperson Karpal Singh is not one to shy from criticising his own political comrades and allies. For him, principles come first. And because of this, the fiery veteran has had no qualms about putting his colleagues in their places, often giving fodder to media speculation that the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is on the verge of collapse.

There was the time when Karpal told Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to quit the PR for promoting a culture of party-hopping. He’s also lambasted fellow party leaders, secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and adviser Lim Kit Siang, for not supporting his anti-hopping stand.

He has consistently resisted the idea of an Islamic state, calling on both PAS and Anwar to come clean on exactly what one would look like. And he called PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang an “embarrassment” over proposed unity talks with Umno.

Karpal, sitting between PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat (left) and party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang at the PR’s first convention on 19 Dec 2009

In the second and final part of an interview with The Nut Graph conducted in Kuala Lumpur on 20 Jan 2010, Karpal talks about the DAP’s way forward with PAS and PKR.

TNG: About the DAP. In a Chinese-based party, what is your influence as a non-Chinese [Malaysian] party leader? Are you what gives the party its fighting streak?

Karpal Singh: I don’t think so. I get my strong character from the party. I joined this party after the 13 May 1969 riots. I was practising law in Alor Star at the time. I thought something had to be done about what was going on. 13 May was a terrible tragedy. What was needed was a united multiracial society, which I thought could only be brought about by a multiracial party, and not the race-based parties of the time.

No doubt the DAP gets the most support from the Chinese [Malaysians], but that doesn’t make it a Chinese party. We don’t have as many Malay [Malaysians] as we want, which is a handicap to us. Somehow or other, the Malay [Malaysian] mind has been poisoned against the DAP. But I think Malay [Malaysians] now are changing.

In any event, that is being complemented by Malay [Malaysians] in Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and PAS.  It does not matter whether they join us or PKR as long as they are in Pakatan (Rakyat). We have always admitted that it is difficult for us to make much of a headway. In 1999, we lost some seats in the general election over the Islamic state issue. (DAP parliamentary leader Lim) Kit Siang and I held very strong seats but we lost. But it is different now, with the three parties coming together.

What do you think Pakatan’s weaknesses are?

We have to be cohesive. We must be very united on major issues, and that is now true to a great extent. In 1999, our association with PAS was considered the kiss of death. It’s no more now.

We also have to be very careful with who we take in. Pakatan is popular and we don’t want opportunists to come into the party. There are a lot of people frustrated with the BN. Even if they are principled, we should wait for at least two years before entrusting them with leadership.

What are the priority areas in Pakatan‘s common policy framework that can be implemented now?

Pakatan has been consistent on most things in the framework except for local council elections, which is a thorn. In our election manifesto we said that the first thing we would do would be to restore local government elections. This is not in the common policy framework in the manner which it ought to be.

Though we did not have a unanimous agreement, there is progress on the matter, and I think we can come to an agreement before the next general election. But an agreement is one thing. Whether you can lawfully hold local government elections is another. Can we hold it in view of the legislation against it? To overcome this, we must have federal power to make the necessary amendments.

On the DAP’s “middle Malaysia” approach to voters, is this a rebranding exercise?

Fundamentally, we have always been about a Malaysian Malaysia. To woo the middle ground, you have to have that concept. “Middle Malaysia” is about identifying the silent majority and reaching out to them, especially the young, whose thinking is entirely different, even among Malay [Malaysian] youth. By identifying them, we’re zeroing in on them and giving them the message that we are with them. This group will make the difference in the end.

See also Part 1: For Karpal, the personal is political

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related Stories

Filed Under: Exclusives Tagged With: Anwar Ibrahim, dap, Deborah Loh, Karpal Singh, Mahathir Mohamad, Pakatan Rakyat, physiotherapy, politicians, politics, wheelchair

Primary Sidebar

Search

Twitter

My Tweets

Recent Comments

  • Wave33 on The Nut Graph stops publication
  • Adam on The Nut Graph stops publication
  • PSTan on The Nut Graph stops publication
  • PSTan on The Nut Graph stops publication
  • Andre Lai on The Nut Graph stops publication

Recent News

  • The Nut Graph stops publication
  • Nasihat tentang sepupu yang mengganggu perasaan
  • Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: The Sunni-Shia split and the answer to Muslim unity
  • Why Malaysia needs the national unity bills
  • Challenging government in the digital age: Lessons from Kidex
  • Najib’s failure
  • Babi, anjing, pondan: Jijik orang Islam Malaysia
  • Kidex and the law – What the government’s not telling you
  • Beyond Dyana Sofya
  • Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Does Malaysia need hate speech laws?

Tags

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Anwar Ibrahim Barisan Nasional BN Bukit Selambau by-election dap Deborah Loh Ding Jo-Ann Election Commission elections Found in Malaysia Found in Quotation Gan Pei Ling government high court Hishammuddin Hussein ISA islam Jacqueline Ann Surin Khairy Jamaluddin KW Mak Lim Guan Eng Malaysia MCA Menteri Besar MP Watch Muhyiddin Yassin muslim Najib Razak Pakatan Rakyat Parliament Parti Keadilan Rakyat pas Penang Perak PKR police politics prime minister Selangor Shanon Shah Umno Wong Chin Huat Zedeck Siew

Footer

  • About The Nut Graph
  • Who Are We?
  • Our Contributors
  • Past Contributors
  • Guest Contributors
  • Editorial Policy
  • Comments & Columns
  • Copyright Policy
  • Web Accessibility Policy
  • Privacy Policy
The Nut Graph

© 2023 The Nut Graph