However, before the coalition finished its first term, defections from partnering parties caused it to lose power after 22 months, culminating in the 2020 Malaysian political crisis.

At the 2022 Malaysian general election, the PH coalition which the DAP was part of was returned to power again, albeit without a majority, leading it to form a unity government with political rivals.

The DAP was founded in 1965 by Malaya–based members of the Singaporean People's Action Party (PAP), Chen Man Hin and Devan Nair, shortly after Singapore's expulsion from Malaysia.

[3] Following the expulsion, the PAP was elected as the ruling government of a newly sovereign Singapore, and would continue to operate on a platform of civic nationalism.

[6][7] The party's strongholds are primarily in the urban and semi-urban areas of Penang, Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Johor, Malacca and the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.

[3] The deregistered party's leadership consisted of Devan Nair (secretary-general), Chen Man Hin (chairman), D. P. Xavier (assistant secretary-general), Goh Hock Guan (vice-chairman), Seeveratnam Sinnathamby (treasurer), who was the younger brother of Singapore minister S. Rajaratnam, with Zain Azahari bin Zainal Abidin, Chin Chan Sung, Michael Khong Chye Huat, Tan Chong Bee and Too Chee Cheong as committee members.

The party adopted the Setapak Declaration at the first DAP National Congress held on 29 July 1967, declaring itself "irrevocably committed to the ideal of a free, democratic and socialist Malaysia, based on the principles of racial and religious equality, social and economic justice, and founded on the institution of parliamentary democracy", and later joined the Socialist International, participating in the organisation's International Council in Zurich, Switzerland.

Lee Kuan Yew, then Prime Minister of Singapore under the PAP, explained in 1981 that "the Cabinet decided that Singapore-Malaysia relations would always be bedevilled if Devan Nair remained a DAP leader.

The 1969 election marked the biggest gains ever made by an opposition party in Malaysia before 2008, and came close to seeing the ruling Alliance toppled from power.

[23] When parliament reconvened, it passed pieces of legislation such as the Sedition Act that criminalized the discussion of repealing certain portions of the Constitution.

The DAP, however, continued campaigning on its platform of abolishing the Bumiputra privileges, securing equal rights for all Malaysians, and establishing a democratic socialist state in Malaysia.

[25][26] The party boycotted the National Consultative Council, a body formed in the aftermath of the 1969 racial riots to "establish positive and practical guidelines for inter-racial co-operation and social integration", in protest of the government's continued detention of its secretary-general, Lim Kit Siang, under the Internal Security Act.

The strategy backfired when Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, BN leaders and the media criticised Lim Kit Siang as a "robot" and "soulless" person.

[36] DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang expressed surprise at the election results but declared it to be the true power of the voice of the Malaysian people for the leaders of the country to hear them.

The glitch, reportedly because of a vote tabulation error due to the copy-and-paste method in Microsoft Excel, had raised suspicion.

The DAP election fiasco had caused unease among party members and led to protests to the Registrar of Societies (RoS).

[43] Following the report the RoS had informed DAP of the dispute by its members and in turn as provided for under Section 3A of the Societies Act 1966 did recognise the office-bearers of the committee formed in the party elections on 15 December 2012, the point of contention.

[44] DAP chairperson Karpal Singh said DAP will contest under the PAS logo for the Peninsula and PKR logo in Sabah and Sarawak in the 13th general election, following the Registrar of Societies' (RoS) failure to respond on the withdrawal letter of RoS informing that it does not recognise the party's top leadership line-up.

DAP had appealed to the RoS to withdraw its letter to suspend the party's existing central executive committee (CEC) but the department was silent on the matter.

During the election, the coalition won 113 seats and was able to form the federal government after securing an alliance with the Sabah Heritage Party.

[51] The party was given six ministerial portfolios and secured seven deputy minister positions in the Seventh Mahathir cabinet, with then-secretary-general of the party Lim Guan Eng being appointed Minister of Finance, becoming the first person of Malaysian Chinese descent to hold the position in 44 years since Tan Siew Sin from the Malaysian Chinese Association, who served in that capacity from 1959 until 1974.

On 9 March 2020, Paul Yong and A Sivasubramaniam left the party to join the new Perikatan Nasional state government in Perak.

[55] The next day on 10 March, DAP expelled Norhizam Hassan Baktee, assemblyman for Pengkalan Batu, over his support for the new Perikatan Nasional government in Melaka.

in a two-piece television program broadcast on government-controlled TV channel Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) entitled "Bahaya Cauvinisme", which translates to "Dangers of Chauvinism".

The program forced then party leader Lim Kit Siang to issue a formal media statement to counter the allegations.

[66] Allegations of racism have forced DAP party leader Lim Guan Eng to issue a formal denial in the Penang High Court.

The CEC, in turn, elects the party's national leadership from among its own members, including the Secretary-General, in whom executive power is vested.