DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke has conceded that Malaysia’s coalition government could not have been formed without Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as Umno would have been unlikely to join forces with Pakatan Harapan (PH) otherwise.

In an interview with Chinese-language local daily Sin Chew Daily ahead of next month’s six state elections, said DAP has not forgotten the existing corruption charges against Zahid and that the court process would still go on, but also said that there is still a need to work with Zahid.

Any court cases have to go through the court process to be decided, we did not say that he is deputy prime minister, the case will be dropped now, he still has to go through trial at court,” Loke was quoted saying.

“Now, he is head of Umno and BN, this is a reality that we have to accept. We respect his position, and have to cooperate with him, because he represents the political party and coalition. You cannot say, now he is a burden and want to discard him, politics is not like that,” he said, after being asked if Umno president and BN chairman Zahid would be a burden to the unity government.