‘Aggression’ not needed to
win Malay support, says
analyst
Mazlan Ali says Umno’s win in Nenggiri is proof that the party does not need to aggressively champion controversial issues to win over the Malays.
The issue arose after religious affairs minister Na’im Mokhtar said earlier this month that the Malaysian Islamic development department (Jakim) was considering making halal certification mandatory for eateries that do not serve pork and alcohol.
Kok voiced her opposition to the move, saying the government should allow business owners to decide for themselves whether to seek halal certification rather than force them into doing so.
Akmal, the Merlimau assemblyman, responded by calling Kok
(elderly Chinese lady) and said she was an embarrassment to the country. He also told her not to speak on matters concerning Islam.nyonya tua
Commenting on Akmal’s response, Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said Akmal’s tirade could hamper Umno at the upcoming Mahkota by-election.
He said that while some Malays may be won over by politicians seen fiercely defending race and religion, others are likely to be deterred by undue aggression and racial-baiting.
he said referring to the halal certification issue.In the Nenggiri by-election, there were no hot issues like the one the Umno Youth chief is raising,
he told FMT.But Umno still won big. What this means is that even without controversial issues, Umno can still win. There is no need to employ an aggressive approach to win over Malay voters,
Mazlan said there was a downside to being overly aggressive in that it would likely put off non-Malays voters. He said some 35% of the electorate in Mahkota were Chinese voters, most of whom are likely to be DAP supporters.
he said.The Umno Youth chief’s criticism of Kok was quite excessive and may cause unease among DAP supporters,
Mazlan explained that the Seputeh MP’s statement was merely focused on the financial burden the requirement would place on small traders rather than outright opposition to the need for halal certification.
Criticism in itself is fine, but calling her (Kok) ‘nyonya tua’ is excessive.
‘Nobody wins’
Azmil Tayeb of Universiti Sains Malaysia agreed, saying such attacks would leave non-Malays disillusioned and believing that the government is disregarding their interests yet again.
This, he said, could lead to a repeat of the Sungai Bakap by-election, where a low non-Malay voter turnout contributed to Pakatan Harapan’s loss to Perikatan Nasional by 4,267 votes.
he said.Nobody wins in this tiff (between Akmal and Kok). Malays will not flock to Umno because of it and non-Malays will feel like DAP is not doing enough to protect their interests in the government,
Azmil acknowledged the assurance given by Wanita DAP chief Teo Nie Ching that Akmal’s blowout would not hamper the party’s cooperation with Umno at the Mahkota by-election.
However he said this may not reflect realities at grassroot level.
If we go by the Sungai Bakap by-election, this view was not shared by the rank and file who worked on the ground. Umno doesn’t want DAP in Malay areas, and vice versa. The halal issue, among others, only serves to widen this divide.
Akmal a lone voice
Mazlan, however, disagreed, saying Akmal appeared to be the lone Umno figure triggered by Kok’s statement with no other Umno leader taking aim at Kok.
He said DAP was likewise unperturbed by the incident.
Mazlan said this indicates the Pakatan Harapan component does not see Akmal’s actions as representing Umno’s position on the matter, but merely reflects his personal view.
They don’t see Umno as attacking DAP. To me, for now, ties between Umno and DAP are at a very good level.
Nonetheless, he said Perikatan Nasional could benefit from the row by telling voters it exposes the disunity between two key unity government components.
said Mazlan.This could cause a switch in support (in favour of PN) or result in DAP and Umno voters not going out to cast their ballot,
Voters in the Johor state constituency go to the polls on Sept 28.
No comments:
Post a Comment