THERE is less “noise” about Malay rights, upholding Islam and other racial and religious issues now that Umno and PAS are part of the federal government, said analysts.

They told The Malaysian Insight that both Malay parties are finding that the real challenges of governing are monetary and economic issues.

Malay voters are themselves more focused on economic issues and better administration and rhetoric from the ground is less radicalised than when Pakatan Harapan was in power, analysts said.

Dr Mazlan Ali from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) said race and religion are rarely used as political cards by Umno and PAS now that they’re in government.

Examples of these during the PH administration were Malay and Muslim-led campaigns against Malaysia’s signing of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination (ICERD) and the Rome Statute.

Issues like accidents resulting from drink driving were also more radicalised in social media chatter under PH.

“When a police officer was killed as a result of drink driving, though it is not a racial issue in and of itself, it was turned into one when PH was in power, just because it so happens that the majority of people who drink in this country are non-Malays,” Mazlan said.

Race and religion have long been used as political tools in Malaysia as rival Malay-Muslim parties compete for votes by polishing their Islamic and nationalist credentials and to challenge reformist positions taken by multiracial or largely Chinese parties in the opposition, such as PKR and DAP.

This has worked to the extent that Mazlan said his research into voter sentiments shows that rural Malays and middle-class Malays are more taken with racial issues when PH was in federal power.

The coalition that won the 2018 election comprised Bersatu, PKR, DAP and Amanah. Bersatu left the pact in February to form the Malay-majority Perikatan Nasional government.

“For urban Malays and young people, they are more concerned about corruption, transparency and better governance,” Mazlan said.

Since PN took over the government, political analysts have observed that PAS no longer raises Islamic issues because it is part of the government, alongside Bersatu and Barisan Nasional.

PAS had responded to this by saying that its focus is on governing while Malaysia works to overcome the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani, a lecturer at Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), also agrees that Malays are now more concerned about the economy rather than Malay rights.

“Malay rights issues are not the main concern now. What’s important to the Malays are economic issues, especially with the Covid-19 crisis,” he said.

“Perikatan needs to stabilise and revive the economy so that the people can benefit.

“Economic issues will be the deciding factor in the next general election.”

Pressure groups still at work

Penang Institute’s Nidhal Mujahid said issues concerning Malays and Islam were deliberately raised by Umno and PAS to win the support and sympathy of the people.

“It was used to kill the confidence of the Malays against PH. Such issues will not be used as much now (by political parties) as they were before, during PH’s rule.”

As an example, Nidhal cited the case of fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim, who died of injuries sustained during a riot at a Hindu temple in Subang Jaya, Selangor, in late 2018, which drew a large groundswell of Malay sentiment against PH.

However, Nidhal said although PAS and Umno are no longer playing up such sentiments, there are still Malay and Islamic pressure groups willing to fill in the gaps.

Universiti Malaya (UM) lecturer Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi agrees, saying that such sentiments are still prevalent among the conservative grassroots.

“Political literacy among conservative voters is low and they forget that the federal constitution already guarantees the rights of the Malays,” he said. – June 19, 2020.