PAKATAN Harapan’s performance a year after taking power will be a topic of interest among Malay voters returning home for the Hari Raya celebrations, said analysts.

They said the discussions among them could range from the economy to prices of goods, cost of living to matters of race and religion.

At last year’s Aidilfitri celebrations, PH and its supporters were basking in the glow of victory at the general election held five weeks earlier, where they ejected Barisan Nasional from Putrajaya.

After a year in power, however, PH supporters are seemingly at a loss for words when defending their government of choice, which critics said has yet to fulfil many of its campaign pledges.

“People are starting to doubt the governing abilities of PH,” said Awang Azman Awang Pawi of Universiti Malaya.

“We see them playing with time… at one moment, they asked for a year, the next they asked for three years to fulfil their election manifesto,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Awang Azman, who is with the Academy of Malay Studies, said bread-and-butter issues remain the sticking point for the government.

“The people feel that this government has not been able to provide enough change in their daily lives. They don’t feel the impact,” he said.

Lowering the prices of goods was among the pledges by PH in run-up to the May 9 election last year. PH then blamed rising living costs on the goods and services tax (GST) implemented by the previous Barisan Nasional government.

PH abolished the GST on June 1, 2018, two weeks after Hari Raya last year. The 6% tax was dropped and the government reverted to the sales and services tax (SST), which took effect on September 1, 2018.

The new taxation system, however, did not have the intended effect, said Awang Azman.

“The people who balik kampung (return home) for Raya, their stories will be about not having enough duit raya due to rising living costs, lack of job opportunities and sluggish economic growth.”

Universiti Utara Malaysia’s politics and international relations lecturer Azizuddin Mohd Sani said economic issues will be more dominant than racial or religious issues.

“Those are the issues they would bring home,” he said.

“Issues related to religion, Malay rights, race will be plenty. They’ll connect where they feel they can connect but the dominant topics will be about the economy.

“This will not only happen during the Aidilfitri celebrations but an ongoing conversation until the next elections when the public will make known their views,” said Azizuddin. – June 5, 2019.