KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 – The Democratic Action Party (DAP) is set to hold its 18th National Congress on March 16, where 70 candidates will vie for 30 positions in the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC). Notable contenders include Loke Siew Fook, Nga Kor Ming, Chow Kon Yeow, Steven Sim, Lim Guan Eng, Lim Hui Ying, Ramkarpal Singh, and Gobind Singh Deo, while key female candidates include Hannah Yeoh, Kasthuri Patto, Vivian Wong, Teresa Kok, Teo Nie Ching, Yeo Bee Yin, and Young Syefura Othman.
4,203 delegates from 1,650 branches will cast their votes at the Ideal Convention Centre in Shah Alam, with the election monitored by an independent third party to ensure transparency. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, also Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman, has confirmed his attendance, though invitations have so far only been extended to PH coalition partners.
DAP national organising secretary Steven Sim stated that candidates have been urged to remain committed to serving the people, and only those with nominations from at least two branches were eligible to contest. Meanwhile, party veterans Tan Kok Wai, Fong Kui Lun, M. Kulasegaran, and Phee Boon Poh have opted out of the race. The elected 30-member CEC will later decide DAP’s leadership for the 2025-2028 term, a crucial period leading up to Malaysia’s 16th General Election, expected by November 2027.
