SHAH ALAM: DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke said the party's 18th National Congress on Sunday (March 16) was more of an assembly for Pakatan Harapan component parties.
"This is more of a Pakatan assembly. Even Barisan Nasional sometimes invites only its component parties. It does not mean there is an issue. It is just that we sometimes focus on our own coalition.
"This is normal. Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) also holds assemblies among its component parties," he told reporters when asked about the absence of BN leaders at the congress.
The congress, held at the Ideal Convention Centre here, was attended by Prime Minister and Pakatan chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, DAP national chairman Lim Guan Eng and deputy chairman Gobind Singh Deo.
Also present were Pakatan secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Amanah president Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, Upko president Datuk Ewon Benedick and PKR vice-president K. Saraswathy.
On the upcoming Ayer Kuning state by-election, Loke reaffirmed DAP's commitment to assisting the BN candidate in defending the seat.
"This has always been our practice. In any by-election involving parties within the Madani government, we will extend our support, just as they did for us in Kuala Kubu Baru," he said.
Polling day for the Ayer Kuning by-election has been set for April 26, with nomination and early voting on April 12 and April 22, respectively.
Meanwhile, commenting on DAP's proposal to introduce an election candidate evaluation mechanism after the formation of its new Central Executive Committee, Loke said the move aims to ensure a thorough candidate selection process.
"We will manage this internally because the candidates are DAP members, not outsiders. However, in developing this mechanism, we will seek input from various parties, including academics and political science experts, as they may have relevant studies," he said.
Loke added that previously, candidate selection was handled by the Candidate Selection Committee based on names proposed by state leadership.
"What we plan to implement is an evaluation system before the committee makes the final decision," he said. - Bernama
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