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Free Malaysia Today
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Disillusioned non-Malays may punish PH without backing PN, says Ramasamy
Urimai chairman P Ramasamy said it is also a mistake to treat all non-Malay voters, like Chinese, Indians and others, as if they think and vote the same way. PETALING JAYA : Even if non-Malay voters do not directly back PAS or Perikatan Nasional (PN), former Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy has warned that their frustration with Pakatan Harapan (PH) could still carry serious political consequences. He said political discontent among non-Malay voters may manifest not through outright support for PN, but in other forms of political disengagement. 'Under the right socio-political conditions, there is no guarantee that the non-Malays won't abandon a hypocritical or ineffective PH-led coalition. 'It could emerge in other forms — lower turnout, protest votes, or support for alternative opposition figures,' the Urimai chairman said in a statement today. P Ramasamy. He was commenting on Wong Chin Huat's analysis in an FMT report, in which Wong said PAS's bid to woo non-Malay voters dissatisfied with PH was unlikely to succeed due to the party's entrenched 'zero-sum' political framing that alienates non-Muslims. Wong had said PAS's political messaging often presents gains for non-Muslims as losses for Muslims. This narrative tends to alienate non-Malay voters, he added. However, Ramasamy argued that such analysis may overlook the diversity and evolving sentiments within the non-Malay electorate. 'Lumping all non-Malays into a single bloc is a form of essentialism that flattens the political distinctions among Chinese, Indians and other minorities. 'Their political calculations, sentiments and thresholds of tolerance differ.' Ramasamy said Chinese voters may reject PAS over ideological and cultural differences. However, he noted a shift in thinking among some Indian voters — not because they support PN, but because they're frustrated with the PH-led government. He went on to say that non-Malay voters are not 'blindly loyal' and any support for PAS or PN would depend on whether the coalition moves beyond narrow ethno-religious politics to address minority concerns meaningfully. 'Political allegiances are fluid, and the Malaysian political environment is evolving rapidly.'
Free Malaysia Today
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
PAS can't capitalise on non-Malay discontent with govt, say analysts
PAS vice-president Amar Abdullah recently said that the party plans to woo disgruntled non-Malays who are becoming more critical of the PH-led government. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA : Analysts are sceptical of PAS's ability to win over non-Malay voters, even as frustration with Pakatan Harapan (PH) grows as the Islamic party is not positioned to capitalise on their discontent with the unity government. Wong Chin Huat of Sunway University says PAS and the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition it leads continues to operate within a 'zero-sum paradigm', where political gains for non-Muslims are seen as losses for Muslims, and vice versa—an approach deeply ingrained in their electoral strategy. Wong Chin Huat. 'This paradigm makes (PAS's) competition against PH and Barisan Nasional (BN) most effective,' he told FMT, adding however that PAS and PN will not win non-Malay support if they continue to rely on it. Wong was commenting on PAS vice-president Amar Abdullah's recent claim that the party was looking to woo non-Malay voters who have become disillusioned with the PH-led unity government. He acknowledged that frustration towards the government and PH has led some non-Malays to be more outspoken about governance failures. However, he said PAS is in no position to capitalise on the discontent. This, said Wong, was primarily due to PAS's perceived doublespeak. 'Non-Muslims feel cheated whenever PAS talks about winning their votes,' he said, referring to contradictions in the party's messaging. He cited Abdul Hadi Awang as an example, saying the PAS president presents himself as a multiculturist only at Chinese New Year. ''Every Chinese New Year, Hadi would wear red, visit his Chinese in-laws and tell us he is all for multiculturalism. Once CNY is over, he would talk about the threat of Christianisation or that non-Muslims should be dhimmis (second-class citizens),' said Wong. Syaza Shukri. Syaza Shukri of International Islamic University Malaysia, believes that although many non-Malay voters have been critical of PH recently, they remain wary of PN's conservatism. 'I do not think these PH supporters would support PN in its current form. Although they want a 'clean' party, they won't compromise on other progressive issues like equality and inclusivity,' she said. Syaza said that unless PAS revives the more inclusive approach it adopted under the leadership of Fadzil Noor in the early 2000s—akin to what Amanah is doing today—it will struggle to broaden its base. 'To be honest…the party is not going for any big reforms. They want to continue as they are and play the long game. 'Their manifesto is just to show that an 'Islamic' party and government is okay, and they'll continue with that. Any major reforms would disrupt their momentum.'
Free Malaysia Today
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Fielding non-Muslims could help PAS woo non-Malays, says analyst
An analyst said dissatisfaction among non-Malays towards Pakatan Harapan could give PAS an opening, but only if the Islamic party addresses deeper, structural issues. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : Analysts have proposed two key strategies for PAS to win over non-Malay voters, namely fielding non-Muslim candidates in safe seats and highlighting the party's achievements in its administration of Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah, and Perlis – also known as the SG4 states. Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said PAS must move away from political rhetoric if it hoped to shift perceptions among non-Malay voters. 'So far, PAS has yet to demonstrate that it is a better option than DAP or PKR, as there's little to be proud of in its administration of the SG4 states. 'PAS must tone down its extreme rhetoric and focus on showcasing its ability to govern by making the SG4 a better model than the states governed by Pakatan Harapan (PH) or Barisan Nasional. That's what it needs to do now,' he told FMT. PAS vice-president Amar Nik Abdullah previously said that the party was targeting non-Malay voters who were disillusioned with the government ahead of the 16th general election, acknowledging however PAS's struggle to win over that segment. He said PAS faced the challenge of finding more convincing ways to gain the trust of non-Malay voters while preserving its clean image and integrity to maintain its support among the youth. Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya said dissatisfaction among non-Malays towards PH could give PAS an opening, but only if the Islamic party could address deeper, structural issues. 'These include concerns about religious freedom and racial harmony, and rejecting theocratic narratives. Without such changes, discontent with PH will only be temporary, as non-Malay voters still find it difficult to accept Perikatan Nasional (PN). 'PAS also needs to overcome the longstanding distrust, including the fact that it once branded non-Muslims as infidels (kafir) – something that still lingers in the memory of many non-Malays.' PAS must be sincere in fielding non-Muslim candidates Awang Azman added that dissatisfaction with PH did not automatically mean that the non-Malays were ready to support PAS. 'PAS must be bold and sincere in placing non-Muslim candidates in winnable seats – just as Umno does with MIC and MCA – as a genuine sign of cooperation with non-Muslims. This shouldn't just be rhetoric or a symbolic gesture,' he said. Rusdi Omar of Universiti Utara Malaysia said that to attract non-Malay support, PAS must move away from an overemphasis on religious, racial, and royal sentiments, and adopt a more moderate approach. Meanwhile, Ariff Aizuddin Azlan of Universiti Teknologi Mara said PAS and PN would need to work harder than PKR, DAP, and Amanah did when they were in the opposition by championing mature politics free from racial elements.
Free Malaysia Today
30-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Not right for MCA to abandon BN now, says former vice-president
Former MCA vice-president Ti Lian Ker said party members are increasingly feeling that they had been left in the lurch by BN lynchpin Umno. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : A former MCA vice-president said it would be 'irresponsible' for the party to abandon Barisan Nasional in its current state, but felt the party should strive to win seats in the next general election without relying on its allies. Ti Lian Ker said BN was currently enduring a difficult time as its irrelevance among the non-Malay voters, who no longer buy into race-based politics, continued to grow. However, he said, the reality was that race and religious-based politics remained a dominant feature in the country's political landscape. Such a trend was evidenced by the growing popularity of PAS and the emergence of the likes of parties such as Bersatu, Amanah, and Pejuang. Ti said MCA should assert its own direction in view of the fact that members were increasingly feeling that they had been left in the lurch by BN lynchpin Umno. He said MCA members were of the view that Umno was favouring DAP, the party's bitter rival. 'As it stands, it seems that MCA is being pushed to the corner and doing what needs to be done in order to survive,' he told FMT. Ti had in April compared MCA and Umno to a troubled marriage involving an estranged wife and runaway husband. He was commenting on a report by a Chinese daily that Kuantan MCA would propose that a vote be carried out during divisional meetings in June on whether discussions should be held on quitting BN. Ti, who is the Kuantan MCA chief, rubbished the report, saying no such proposal had been made. The former deputy minister said it would be reckless for MCA to quit BN, which was founded on the spirit of multiculturalism, accommodation and inclusiveness. He said BN emphasised tolerance, consensus-building and co-existence, principles that were put into practice after Malaya achieved independence, and the subsequent formation of Malaysia. 'Therefore, it will be irresponsible for MCA to leave BN and what it stood for after decades of political stability and growth. 'MCA must remain in BN to ensure that these principles are upheld,' he said. Ti had admitted last month that MCA was currently at a crossroads, as the party must decide whether to remain in BN and be satisfied with 'crumbs thrown its way', or break away to forge its own path at the risk of losing everything. He had said that by continuing in BN, MCA might end up proving DAP's claim that the party had always been subservient to Umno. This, he said, would tarnish the party's image and credibility. While he believes that MCA must not quit BN, Ti said the party needed a 'reset' and must be prepared to stand on its own in the event Umno opted to collaborate with DAP in the long run.
