THE ruckus surrounding Monday’s caning of two women in Terengganu, which attracted much local and international criticism, may be a prelude to how political parties fight it out to win the votes of the Malay-Muslim community in the next elections.

Analysts said the heated debate over the incident was representative of the divide between liberals and mostly conservative Malay voters.

While the caning elicited strong condemnation from rights activists, it was an almost a non-issue for those living in Terengganu and neighbouring Kelantan, both states controlled by Islamic party PAS.

Shariah laws in Kelantan and Terengganu criminalise same-sex relations and caning is punishment for the offence.

The day after the Terengganu caning, the Barisan Nasional-ruled state of Pahang expressed its intention to follow suit in enforcing caning as a punishment for Muslim LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) offenders.

International Islamic University Malaysia’s Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar said the caning was in line with shariah provisions under Terengganu law but was also meant to position PAS as the undeniable party of choice for Muslims.

He said Pahang’s desire to follow Terengganu’s footsteps could be indicative of Umno wanting to magnify its Muslim credentials.

“It means Umno does not want to be seen belittling religious law when PAS is getting some Malay support (out of it).

“It will be interesting to see what Pahang does. Its shariah law is almost similar to Terengganu’s and there was a 2010 case where the sultan commuted caning as punishment for a Muslim woman who drank beer to community service.”

Faisal S. Hazis, associate professor of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, said LGBT issues are being seen by some as an attempt by liberals to erode conservative and religious values.

“In the last few months, LGBT issues gained much attention, with a lot of public discourse. The state religious authorities may be taking a hard stance against the issue (because of that).

“There is a fear that openness and liberalism within society may erode conservative, religious and traditional values,” said Faisal, who heads the Centre for Asia Studies (iKAS) at UKM.

Last month, the organiser of a Merdeka-themed photography exhibition at the George Town Festival had to remove the portraits of two renowned LGBT activists following complaints.

Late last month, police and religious authorities raided Blue Boy, a small nightclub in Kuala Lumpur popular with the LGBT community. The nightclub had been operating for years without encountering any problem with the authorities.

Winning Malays

While Pakatan Harapan has come under fire over the incidents, with its supporters reminding the pact of its pledge to be a more moderate and inclusive government, the coalition is also striving to convince Malays of its commitment to defend Islam and conservative Malays.

In a recent study by The Malaysian Insight on the GE14 Malay voting trend by pollster Ilham Centre, 43% of 1,600 voters did not believe PH would protect Islam and Malay rights.  

The Malay voters surveyed also thought PAS and Umno would do a better job, with 40% saying they trusted PAS more than PH.

Faisal said if Putrajaya continued to push ahead its liberal stance, it risked further alienating Malay voters.

The Ilham Centre survey also found that 45% and 32% of Malay voters supported BN and PAS respectively in GE14. PH trailed with only 17% support.

“Before GE14, Malay political parties used race and religion to win voters and this seems to have continued after the election,” said Faisal.

“We will still see a contest to win Malay support come GE15. The next general election will be a battleground for Malay votes,” he said of the polls due by 2023.

Meanwhile, Ilham Centre’s Azlan Zainal said the issue was an indicator of how ready Malaysians were to accept the enforcement of shariah law in the future.

“A sensitive issue like this tests the harmony among the different races. It will reflect our behaviour and it will need tolerance,” he said.

“It will also need the federal and state governments to have a collective stand on all related issues for justice to be delivered without jeopardising racial harmony.” – September 6, 2018.