IF Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim intends on attracting Malay voters in the forthcoming state polls, he must be seen as pro-Malay, said an analyst.
According to National Council of Professors senior fellow Datuk Dr Jeniri Amir, it would be difficult for Anwar to win over Malays, especially with Perikatan Nasional (PN) as a viable alternative for some.
“If the unity government needs Malay support, they cannot ignore the Najib factor,” he was quoted as saying by FMT in response to several online polls as to whether Najib should be granted a royal pardon.
“To attract the Malay vote, Anwar has no other choice but to be seen as pro-Malay and pro-Bumiputera. Otherwise, the Malays will feel sidelined and that will aggravate his position.”
Former UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin said yesterday that the Prime Minister’s biggest obstacle in the upcoming state elections would be increasing the coalition’s support among Malays.
According to Khairy, as it stood it would be impossible for PH to win in Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, especially since PH only managed to secure 15% of the Malay votes in these Malay-majority states in the 15th general election (GE15).
Jeniri claims that most Malays are turned off by Anwar and PH because DAP is one of the coalition’s component parties and has been tarnished over the years.
“He needs to take more risks, tackle issues affecting Malays, and fight for the Malay cause if he wants to garner more votes,” he said, adding that while non-Malay voters would not be ecstatic about this, the ruling coalition did not have any other alternatives.
“The Malays could opt to vote for PN, but it is relatively conservative with PAS there,” the academic said.
Give UMNO the responsibility of getting Malay votes
Meanwhile, Dr Azmi Hassan, senior fellow at Nusantara Academy, argued that it was UMNO, PH’s coalition partner, who was in charge of drawing Malay votes.
“The most important thing for Malays, especially in states like Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis, is whether Anwar can protect the Malay interests and protect the sanctity of Islam as the official religion. This is something UMNO can do,” he said.
He claimed that the Malay vote shifted to PN in GE15 because Malays felt they could not rely on UMNO, which was embroiled in internal conflict.
“But now, they are relatively stable with minimal internal bickering. I think it is the best time for PH to give UMNO the responsibility of getting the Malay votes,” he said.
Unlike PH, which has strongholds in developed states and multicultural, multireligious urban centres such as Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Selangor, UMNO has strongholds in Malay heartlands such as Melaka, Johor, Pahang, and parts of Perak.
However, as a result of recent controversies and internal quarrelling, support for what used to be the BN administration’s foundation has eroded significantly, as seen in GE15, when UMNO had its worst performance.
It only obtained 26 parliamentary seats, down from 54 previously. – April 14, 2023
Main pic credit: SCMP
