The DAP concluded its National Leadership Retreat for 2019 at the Saujana Hotel in Subang, Selangor yesterday. The three-day conference held between March 15 to 17 involved the party’s Central and State Leadership, representatives from the party’s Youth (DAPSY) and Women (Wanita DAP) wings, 42 Members of Parliament, 6 Senators and 102 Members of State Assemblies who congregated to discuss issues and challenges faced by the party.
The theme of the Retreat was “Malaysia Baharu: Kukuhkan Parti Kuatkan Kerajaan” or “New Malaysia: Fortify the party, strengthen the government.”
Since forming the federal government as a component party of the Pakatan Harapan coalition after the 14th General Elections, expectations on the DAP by our supporters and members have increased drastically. The challenges of fulfilling these expectations were widely discussed throughout the weekend as the participants took stock of the main achievements of the PH government.
The event kicked off with a welcome address from the party’s Secretary-General Sdr Lim Guan Eng who stressed that Malaysia Baharu should focus on increasing the shared prosperity of all Malaysians, to be free from corruption, to have a people-centric government, in accordance of the rule of law, and be respectful to the environment.
Under the new PH government, all Malaysians will benefit from having access to better paying and higher skilled jobs, a higher quality of education, a more holistic and comprehensive welfare system and greater business opportunities in an open and transparent marketplace.
Since taking over from a kleptocratic and corrupt Barisan Nasional government, Sdr Guan Eng emphasized that PH has had to work hard to clean up the mess that has been left behind. This includes managing the debt situation of the country and taking the appropriate actions to put the country’s finances back on track.
The ultimate goal is for Pakatan Harapan to put the country’s economy back on track so that prosperity can be enjoyed by all. This can be achieved through a balanced focus on both innovative entrepreneurship and government welfare support for the financially needy.
Despite the many challenges for the new government, the party maintains its strong fighting spirit to make the change it was mandated to do in the last general elections. The main focus should be on delivering the promises from the PH manifesto in the next 4 years.
The Retreat also discussed proposals for amendments to the party constitution for the upcoming National Conference in May. In addition to that, guidelines on ethics and integrity of party leaders were also discussed.
Two special guests graced the event, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Ketua Umum Pakatan Harapan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The discussions were centred around Pakatan Harapan policies and the future direction of the coalition.
The DAP National Retreat also celebrated the party’s 53rd anniversary as a political party in Malaysia. Formed on 18 March 1966, the party that upholds the Federal Constitution, is committed to the struggle for a free, fair and democratic Malaysia, based on the principles of freedom, equal opportunity, social justice, human rights, and founded on the institution of parliamentary democracy.