Democratic Action Party

Socialist International

The Democratic Action Party (DAP Parti Tindakan Demokratik ) is a socialist opposition party in Malaysia. Its voters are living in cities Chinese. Strongholds of the party are Penang, Perak and Sarawak

Foundation

The DAP was originally part of Singapore's People's Action Party. After the secession of Singapore they became independent.

The party was founded in October 1965 and registered in March 1966 as a social democratic party.

In October 1967, the party joined the Socialist International, an association of 55 then social democratic, socialist parties and workers' parties.

Position

The DAP founded together with three other opposition parties - including the Islamist PAS - the Barisan Alternatif ( Alternative Front).

Cooperation with a theocracy aspiring PAS has many of the majority non-Muslim voters of DAP disappointed. She is seen as the main cause for the failure of two important DAP politicians in the election in 1999, Lim Kit Siang including the chairman.

On 21 September 2001, the DAP left the Barisan Alternatif, which broke up in 2004.

2004 election

After emerging from the Barisan Alternatif the DAP tried again clearly distance from the PAS for votes recover (see election poster on the right).

The DAP was 9.9% of the vote and 12 of 218 seats in parliament again strongest opposition party before the PAS. Lim Kit Siang was again a member of Parliament.

Election 2008

In the elections of 2008, the DAP joined again with the two main parties of the Barisan Alternatif to a former opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat under the leadership of Anwar Ibrahim. In the Malaysian Parliament, the coalition gained a total of 46.7 % of the vote, which resulted in 82 of the 222 seats. At the DAP case went 13.7% of the vote and 28 seats. Even the Pakatan Rakyat could gain in five of the 13 Malaysian states the majority in the state parliament and there form the government.