PAS’s Electoral Engineering: The Malay Vote Mobilization in Selangor

PAS’s Electoral Engineering: The Malay Vote Mobilization in Selangor


25 Mar 2025 • 12:00 PM MYT



Mihar Dias
A behaviourist by training, a consultant and executive coach by profession

Voter migration image generated by ChatGPT

By Mihar Dias March 2025


What PAS Selangor is attempting is nothing short of strategic electoral gerrymandering—but with a grassroots twist. https://newswav.com/A2503_BAIOhc?s=A_2ig0v5w&language=en


Rather than redrawing constituency lines (a power they do not have), they are urging Malay voters from other states who work in Selangor to change their polling stations. https://newswav.com/A2503_BAIOhc?s=A_2ig0v5w&language=en


The goal? A more “just and equitable political demographic balance,” which, in PAS’s dictionary, translates to increasing Malay votes in the state. https://newswav.com/A2503_BAIOhc?s=A_2ig0v5w&language=en


I recall a similar tactic reminiscent of the 1960s American hippie movement, where young idealists migrated to smaller states like Vermont to establish a political stronghold. https://www.vermontpublic.org/programs/2016-09-14/communes-the-hippie-invasion-and-how-the-1970s-changed-the-state


The difference? The hippies sought to influence policy through sheer presence, whereas PAS is engaging in a deliberate voter migration scheme under the banner of democracy.


A Legal but Cynical Move


There’s nothing technically illegal about what PAS is doing. The Election Commission (SPR) allows voters to register in the state where they live and work.


But legality aside, the moral and ethical implications are worth dissecting. When a political party orchestrates voter movements to tilt the demographic balance in its favour, it raises questions about the authenticity of democratic representation.


Selangor is Malaysia’s most developed state, with a significant non-Malay electorate. PAS knows that if left unchanged, the existing voter demographic will make it difficult for them to establish control.


Their solution? Engineer a “natural” demographic shift by calling on Malays from Kelantan, Terengganu, and other PAS strongholds to re-register in Selangor. That will reduce the large numbers rushing home to vote during election time.


This is electoral manipulation in plain sight. PAS isn’t competing by winning over existing voters with policies; instead, it’s trying to import a new voter base. It’s the same logic as a company moving employees around to swing internal shareholder votes—technically fair but fundamentally disingenuous.


Today’s call to action is a coordinated push to weaponize demographics for political gain.


The strategy also mirrors what UMNO once did, using Malay-Muslims voter concentration to maintain control. https://www.newmandala.org/citizenship-for-votes-scandal-in-sabah/


The only difference is that PAS is openly admitting its intentions rather than working behind the scenes. The fact that they have to resort to such tactics signals that PAS struggles to win over Selangor’s existing electorate based on merit alone.


The Implications: Democracy at Risk?


• Erosion of True Representation – If enough voters change their polling stations, Selangor’s political landscape will no longer reflect the actual composition of the people who have historically lived there. Elections should be about representing long-term residents, not about importing a new electorate.


• Further Polarisation – PAS’s messaging is clear: Selangor needs more Malay voters. The underlying assumption is that Malay voters would naturally support PAS, which oversimplifies political diversity among Malays. This kind of narrative deepens racial and religious divisions.


• Precedent for Electoral Engineering – If PAS can do this, what stops other parties from mobilizing their own voter blocs? Imagine a scenario where DAP or PKR encourages urban voters to re-register in marginal constituencies to dilute PAS’s influence. Malaysia’s elections would become a game of who can move voters the fastest rather than who has the best policies.


A Final Thought: Winning Hearts vs. Importing Votes


PAS’s call for voter migration exposes a fundamental weakness—it cannot win based on ideas alone. If PAS truly believed it had the best vision for Selangor, it would focus on persuading existing voters rather than recruiting new ones.


Instead, this strategy suggests desperation, a recognition that their ideology struggles to gain traction in the country’s most progressive state.


Ultimately, Selangor’s future should be decided by the people who have called it home for generations—not by an imported electorate created to serve a political agenda.


The irony? PAS is using the tools of democracy to undermine its very spirit.

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kt comments:

One thing is clear - PAS and democracy are incompatible. If PAS ever wins federal rule, democracy will be erased, then we're all habis