PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia — Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government has avoided a potentially explosive political crisis after Malaysia’s Democratic Action Party (DAP) overwhelmingly voted to keep its ministers in the federal Cabinet.
At the party’s national congress in Putrajaya on Sunday, 1,857 of 2,106 valid secret ballots — or 88.2% — backed continued participation in the government. Only 242 voted for DAP ministers to leave, while seven ballots were spoiled.
The decision gives Anwar a major political reprieve at a moment when his coalition has been under mounting pressure following a series of disappointing state-election results.
But the vote does not mean DAP’s internal crisis is over.
Instead, it may have created an even bigger test: Can the party remain inside Anwar’s government while convincing increasingly frustrated voters that it can still deliver the reforms it promised?
DAP chooses government over withdrawal
DAP had placed its participation in the unity government directly before its delegates after suffering significant electoral setbacks.
The party lost all eight seats it contested in the November 2025 Sabah election. Its representation also fell in the more recent Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections.
The defeat in Negeri Sembilan was particularly painful for DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke, who lost Chennah — a seat he had represented for three terms.
Speaking at the congress, Loke acknowledged that DAP continues to face difficulty expanding its support among Malay voters and apologised for failing to defend the seat.
The question confronting the party was therefore bigger than whether its ministers should keep their positions.
It was about whether DAP could remain part of a government while rebuilding its credibility with voters.
Why the decision mattered to Anwar
DAP is the largest party in the Pakatan Harapan coalition, holding 40 of the 222 seats in Malaysia’s lower house. Its continued participation therefore provides an important pillar for Anwar’s governing coalition.
A Cabinet withdrawal would not automatically have brought down the government, but it would have created serious political uncertainty and potentially increased pressure for an early general election.
That is why Sunday’s vote represents a significant reprieve for Anwar.
The alternative could have been months of coalition instability — and potentially an accelerated battle for Malaysia’s federal government.
DAP ministers remain in Cabinet
The party currently has five full ministers and seven deputy ministers in the federal administration.
Its Cabinet ministers are:
- Anthony Loke — Transport
- Gobind Singh Deo — Digital
- Hannah Yeoh — Federal Territories
- Steven Sim — Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives
- Nga Kor Ming — Housing and Local Government
DAP’s decision allows all of them to continue serving in Anwar’s government.
But the vote also exposed frustration inside the party.
Some delegates argued that leaving government after electoral defeats would amount to abandoning the voters who supported DAP and surrendering the opportunity to implement reforms.
Others warned that DAP had become too cautious while serving in government.
Kuala Lumpur delegate Sangeet Kaur Deo, for example, argued that DAP needed to remain in government but become more vocal about contentious issues and rebuild voter trust.
The reform question could become DAP’s next battlefield
One of the biggest tensions inside DAP is the gap between its reformist identity and the compromises required by coalition government.
Loke defended the party’s decision to remain inside the administration, arguing that DAP ministers could continue pushing their concerns through Cabinet rather than abandoning the government altogether.
He also indicated that some discussions could not simply be conducted publicly and that the party would bring grassroots concerns back through government channels.
That could prove critical.
DAP supporters have raised questions over issues ranging from governance and institutional reform to the controversial discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) involving Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The party now faces the difficult task of proving that staying inside government can produce tangible results — rather than simply protecting its Cabinet positions.
The bigger political battle: Malaysia’s changing electorate
The DAP vote comes as Malaysia’s political landscape becomes increasingly competitive along both economic and identity lines.
The party continues to describe itself as multiracial and says it represents Malaysians regardless of race or religion.
Loke reiterated that position at the congress, stressing that DAP’s objective was not to fight for one ethnic group but to build a progressive Malaysia.
That message comes as rival coalitions such as Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional have sought to consolidate Malay support.
The recent state elections showed how difficult the political environment has become for Pakatan Harapan and its component parties.
For DAP, the challenge is particularly delicate: retain its traditional urban and non-Malay support while making greater inroads into the Malay electorate without alienating its existing base.
What happens next?
Sunday’s vote may have prevented an immediate crisis for Anwar, but it does not erase the warning signs from the ballot box.
DAP has chosen to remain in government.
Now it has to justify that decision to voters.
The party must rebuild after its electoral setbacks, demonstrate that its participation in the unity government produces meaningful reforms, and find a way to broaden its appeal before Malaysia’s next federal election.
And that is where the real political cliffhanger begins.
DAP has decided not to walk away from Anwar. But if voter frustration continues to grow, the next decision may no longer belong to the party leadership — it may belong to Malaysia’s voters.
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