Latest news with #WongChinHuat
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- 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
2 days ago
- 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.'
