In historic first, DAP MPs attend Zahid-led TVET briefing at Umno HQ
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 — More than 30 DAP MPs visited the Umno headquarters in a rare display of cross-party cooperation, in what Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin called a sign of growing maturity in Malaysia’s political landscape.
The group attended a briefing on technical and vocational education and training (TVET) earlier this week at Menara Dato Onn, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The visit marked the first time such a large number of DAP lawmakers had set foot in the headquarters of their one-time political adversary.
Reflecting on the visit, Chan said on Facebook that the gesture reflected the unity government’s commitment to working across party lines.
“We are working to overcome ideological and party differences for the sake of national progress. Nation-building requires unity, not uniformity — and that’s the spirit we’re committed to,” he wrote.
Based on a group photo from the event, the DAP leaders who attended the briefing included party secretary-general Anthony Loke, adviser Lim Guan Eng and vice-chairman Chong Chieng Jen. Also seen were Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Johari Ghani and secretary-general Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.
Chan also described the event as one of several key developments this week that signal the government’s direction, including the tabling of the 13th Malaysia Plan by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and a revised US tariff rate that could benefit Malaysian exporters.
The unity government, he acknowledged, was “not perfect” — but he stressed that its leaders were serious about fulfilling their responsibilities.
“PMX has proven that his strategy works — and it’s time we continue to stand behind him,” Chan added, citing the tariff revision as a sign of the prime minister’s steady diplomacy paying off.
DAP and Umno, once fierce rivals, now share power under the Anwar-led unity government formed after the 2022 general election.