PETALING JAYA: DAP will not contest the Bemban seat in the upcoming Melaka state election having assessed that its chances of winning are slim, says party secretary-general Loke Siew Fook.
Loke said Bemban was the only seat DAP contested in the 2021 state election where it finished third, while the party came second in the other seats it failed to win, Utusan Malaysia reported.
He said DAP was prioritising the defence of its four incumbent seats among the seven it will contest, rather than spreading its resources too thinly.
"We want to make sure our strength and resources, including our focus, are concentrated on seats we can win.
"That is why we are contesting only seven seats this time, excluding Bemban. It is a technical and strategic decision made by the party,” he was quoted as saying after presenting special financial aid to taxi, hired car and school bus drivers in Melaka.
Loke's response comes after former Melaka DAP chairman Damian Yeo decided to boycott Pakatan Harapan’s campaign for the Nov 14 Melaka state election over talk of a possible electoral understanding with Bersatu.
Yeo said he had been informed that the “PH Plus” plan could see the coalition making way for Bersatu to contest Bemban.
On dissatisfaction over seat allocations, Loke said such disagreements were not unusual within political parties.
He said decisions on seat allocations and candidate selection were made by the party’s top leadership, even when some members held differing views.