KUALA LUMPUR: The biggest political party in Malaysia’s unity government finds itself at a crossroads as over 4,000 delegates prepare to gather on Aug 16 to decide if it should remain in the government. The Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) upcoming congress carries heightened significance following punishing setbacks in the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections – notably the latter, where the coalition it is part of, Pakatan Harapan (PH), lost power after leading the state for two terms.While DAP managed to retain some seats in both states, members and political observers say the mood within the party is heavily disillusioned, particularly concerning the government’s record on promised reforms.Before the Johor and Negeri Sembilan polls, the party suffered a wipeout in the November 2025 Sabah state election, losing in all the eight seats it contested.To be sure, if DAP delegates decide on Aug 16 that its five full Cabinet ministers and six deputy ministers should relinquish their positions, the party’s leaders have said it will still maintain parliamentary support for the unity government until the current term ends. Besides PH, the unity government includes Barisan Nasional (BN), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), smaller parties as well as independents. But analysts and some DAP members said a decision by DAP to pull out from the government would have vast implications for the unity government, and could even result in Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim calling a snap general election (GE16). DAP member and former deputy international trade and industry minister Ong Kian Ming told CNA he sensed deep disappointment and frustration among many delegates regarding the current trajectory of PH and the party itself.“Enough of them may want to send a signal to (Anwar) and, to a lesser extent, some of the DAP leaders, that they have fallen short in terms of delivering political and institutional reforms, and vote for the DAP ministers and deputy ministers to resign from their government positions,” said Ong, an adjunct professor at Taylor's University.