In 1993, Kayveas became president of People's Progressive Party (PPP), a component member of the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional, and is the longest serving PPP president to date. He was credited for putting the PPP on a strong footing after many years of internal strife within the party. Membership of the PPP in the coalition was suspended from 1988 until 1993. When Kayveas started restructuring the party and brought it back to the coalition in 1994, many old timers who caused the party's internal squabbles wanted to take back the helm and push Kayveas out.