Kuala Lampur, Aug. 4 -- AUG 4 - After the Sabah and Johor elections, some began to question whether DAP was on the path to political irrelevance. They saw the poll results as evidence that the party's political influence was waning. In my earlier writings, I cautioned against treating state election results as a definitive measure of DAP's future.

The recently concluded Negeri Sembilan election has reinforced that view.

Let us be clear: Pakatan Harapan lost the state government, with DAP losing two seats, including Chennah, where party secretary-general Anthony Loke was defeated by a razor-thin 688 votes. PKR won two seats, down from five previously, while Amanah failed to retain its sole seat. These outcomes are sobering and should not...