KUCHING: Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak will focus on regaining the trust of the people after suffering a huge defeat in the state elections last month.
DAP Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen said, to achieve this, there are three things they must do – continue to serve the people, have more youth participation in decision-making positions in the party, and step up publicity.
“DAP Sarawak will invite more youth in the 18 to 28 age group to be in the state committee, empowering them to make decisions statewide.
“In DAP, the youth will not be merely a subsidiary or secondary group, but will be in the highest decision-making body, that is the DAP Sarawak State Committee,” he said during the DAP Sarawak convention, here on Sunday (Jan 16).
Chong said DAP Sarawak was also looking to step up its public engagement through social media.
“The leaders of DAP Sarawak must advance and adapt with time. While issuing press statements is still an important part of publicity, one cannot deny the increasing importance of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Youtube in our publicity work.
“In politics, it is not only the content of the communication which is important, but also equally important is whether such content can effectively reach the people.”
Thus, Chong stressed that DAP Sarawak’s publicity and method of communication must adapt and evolve to avoid becoming obsolete and extinct.
“It is thus important that the leaders of DAP Sarawak must learn to operate all these different modes of mass communication to be relevant in politics today.”
Chong also emphasised that the party would continue its service to the people despite suffering a crushing blow in the last state election with only two seats won.
“It is heartening to see that many of our grassroots leaders, though we lost in the elections, continue to provide services to the people, continue to voice out for the people and continue to fight for the people’s rights.
“We will not vanish after the election. Our leaders continue to be available and can be contacted by the people round the year. That is the hallmark of DAP and that is something that all of us, members of DAP, should be proud of,” he explained.
Apart from Chong, who won in Padungan, the other DAP candidate who was voted in during the state election was Violet Yong in Pending.
The party failed to retain its seats in Kota Sentosa, Tanjong Batu, Bukit Assek, Pelawan and Pujut.
The party’s dismal performance paled in comparison to the 12 seats it won in the 2011 Sarawak state election. In the 11th state election in 2016, DAP won seven seats which was later reduced to six after its Pujut assemblyman was disqualified for having dual citizenship.
