This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on February 25, 2019 - March 3, 2019

I have written many times that Umno has used DAP as a bogeyman for years, and is still hard at it. And as a result of long-time indoctrination by Umno, many Malays see DAP as the enemy. With PAS joining Umno, the anti-DAP rhetoric has only got worse.

Granted, things have changed in recent years — a little bit. DAP has made inroads as far as Malay support or, rather, acceptance, is concerned. But it is still not enough.

Yes, DAP has attracted prominent Malays into its fold. More young, professional Malays have joined the party as well. However, the entry of Malays into DAP is nothing new. Since its inception in 1969, Malays have been signing up as members. Yet, Malay membership in the party remains small.

I would not say DAP is on a massive recruitment drive among the Malays, but it is working hard to correct the misconceptions planted by Umno among the Malay community.

Recruiting more Malays, especially big names, is one way of doing that. However, despite wanting more Malays as members, the party is somewhat selective.

Silly or foolish, you might say, since it is difficult to get Malays to enrol to begin with.

Actually, no. I can understand DAP being selective, given the many times that some Malays, upon leaving the party, saw fit to badmouth and attack the party, working hand in glove with Umno. No need to name names, as I am sure many know the story all too well.

To state the obvious again — to get Malays to join DAP is no easy task. The challenges remain, even after more Malays have begun to subscribe to the struggle of the party and have been won over after being convinced by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who admitted he was responsible for demonising DAP when he was Umno president. Although more Malays now agree that the party is not a chauvinist Chinese outfit, there is always prejudice to be faced.

Malays in DAP stand to be ostracised by the community and their relatives, although I was told things are a bit better now with DAP a part of Pakatan Harapan, governing the country.

Getting more members is only part of the solution. Obviously, more needs to be done.

As Perak DAP vice-chairman Aziz Bari sees it, a change in approach is in order.

“When we meet Malays, we say, as we always do, that DAP is a Malaysian party, a party for all. Which is true, but to Malays, this is not enough. They expect more. So DAP must tell the Malays that ‘we are a party that can help you and will take care of Malay interests’,’’ he says.

This the DAP can do as the party is already in the federal government, he adds.

I must say Aziz does have a valid point. The party should consider it at the very least. DAP saying upfront that it can and wants to help Malays does not mean it is ditching its stance as a party for all Malaysians.

After all, in Penang, for example, where DAP has been at the helm of the state government since 2008, there are initiatives that are designed to take care of Malay-Muslim interests. If the DAP has trumpeted those, perhaps it wasn’t loud enough.

Nonetheless, that has not cost the DAP votes even among the Chinese. Hence, now it is time for them to shout.

Incidentally, in last year’s Perak DAP polls, constitutional expert Aziz secured the highest number of votes for the vice-chairman’s post. A Malay voted in by many non-Malays in a party in which the majority of the members are Chinese.

That, I would say, should speak well for the inclusiveness that the DAP has been claiming all along.

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