KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 — The DAP faces a crucial political test today as more than 4,000 delegates gather to decide whether the party should remain in the Pakatan Harapan (PH)-led Federal Government.

While the congress has been preceded by intense speculation and political drama, indications suggest that the DAP is likely to remain in the government, possibly with specific conditions attached to its continued participation.

Urimai chairman P. Ramasamy said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was unlikely to be overly concerned about the DAP’s decision, arguing that the party’s bargaining power remained limited despite holding 40 parliamentary seats and being the largest component in the PH coalition.

“Anwar knows that the DAP does not have much bargaining power, particularly in the face of growing pressure from Malay right-wing forces,” he said.

Ramasamy described the DAP as a “gentle and tamed political party”, saying its long experience in state and federal administrations had made it difficult for the party to walk away from power.

He said the DAP was unlikely to take the political gamble of leaving the government, as doing so could make a return to power more difficult amid Malaysia’s changing political landscape.

“Having been in state power and later federal power, the DAP is not emotionally prepared to abandon the government,” he said.

Ramasamy said today’s decision would ultimately test whether the DAP was prepared to prioritise Malaysians affected by current issues or remain within the government and continue benefiting from political influence, positions and opportunities.

He said the party’s structural and ideological links to government made a complete break increasingly difficult.

“Whatever the outcome of today’s decision, the DAP cannot easily extricate itself from the government or from the benefits and opportunities that come with political power,” he said.

Ramasamy also said Anwar appeared to have recognised that the PH coalition needed to be strengthened and reinvented, particularly as support from its component parties could no longer be taken for granted.

He cited Anwar’s recent call at the PKR congress for former party members to return and contribute towards revitalising the reform agenda as a sign that the Prime Minister was preparing for a broader political realignment.

“Anwar knows very well that support from the DAP cannot be taken for granted. The DAP knows this too,” he said.