What do the Malays want?

The Malay voter base is in a state of change, in search of a new protector and defender against perceived challenges to their rights and beliefs.

POLITICAL analyst Dr Azmi Omar has been watching Terengganu politics for ever so long but he was in disbelief when his home state fell lock, stock and barrel to Perikatan Nasional in the state election.

Perikatan also won with convincing majorities – some exceeding 10,000 votes – in the state that used to be famous for slim majorities.

Umno, Dr Azmi noted, fielded many new faces but all the Umno division chiefs – including two former mentris besar – insisted on contesting, giving the impression that political dinosaurs in Umno were still running the show.

Dr Azmi's cynical conclusion: Terengganu is officially no longer a swing state and it could be the "next Kelantan".

The dust has settled but the shock waves have yet to fully subside in Umno.

It is slowly sinking in that the green wave – initially associated with the power of PAS – has become a Malay wave that is no longer confined to the rural Malay heartland.

The Malay wave has arrived in urban Selangor and even Penang, where the Malays are thought to be more integrated and many of whom can speak a smattering of the local Hokkien dialect.

Given the massive crowds that greeted Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor when he arrived in Johor a few days ago, the wave will be felt in the Pulai and Simpang Jeram by-elections.

But the question persists – what is it that the Malays want?

Malay sentiment is in a state of flux. It has been said that the last two rounds of elections were about Malays voting for one side because they disliked the other side more.

But was it really a case of choosing the lesser of two evils, so to speak, or is it something more deep-seated?

"To put it simply, there has been a changing of the guard. For the longest time, Malays looked at Umno as their protector and defender when it came to Malay rights and their religion," said Dr Azmil Tayeb, a political scientist from Universiti Sains Malaysia.

But Umno is now a bit player on a big stage dominated by Pakatan. It has been weakened and has to rely on its non-Malay partners in Pakatan to win in the state polls.

In the eyes of the Malays, it cannot be depended upon to protect the community any more.

"Malays are looking to Perikatan as the new protector and defender. They have abandoned Umno – we saw it in the last general election," said Dr Azmil.

He said bread-and-butter issues are top concerns among many Malays but in an election, populist sentiments come into play. Class differences and the sense of being marginalised translates into anti-elite and anti-establishment emotions.

"Put yourself in the position of the average Malay voter having to choose between Barisan Nasional and Perikatan, to decide who is more able to represent them – it is a no-brainer," said Dr Azmil.

Political leaders and even the Malay Rulers have made numerous appeals against politicising the 3Rs or religion, race and royalty.

But concerns surrounding the 3Rs are coming from the Malay base itself. It is a manifestation of their fears and also hope, of wanting to be assured and secure amid the changes happening around them.

The sentiment is apparent not only in the Malay heartland but also among civil servants, the army and police and the Felda enclaves, all of which were once fixed deposits for Umno.

Is Umno helpless against the Malay wave? Can it reverse the trust deficit?

Dr Azmil sees the trend continuing unless Malays are convinced that Umno has reformed.

The word is that Umno is quite resigned to the fact that it will be a struggle to motivate the general Malay voters in Pulai and Simpang Jeram.

As a result, Umno leaders in Johor have been ordered to focus on their own party members and to bring out their white voters to help Amanah retain the seats.

But will the Umno base cross their ballots for Pakatan? Will they go with Perikatan or will they stay home?

"Nothing is set in stone. It's a delicate balancing exercise. How Malay sentiments pan out depends on how both sides play the game over the next four years," said Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, the former Pulai MP and now Dewan Negara deputy speaker.

Nur Jazlan said that although reforms are necessary for the country to progress, it must be gradual and sensitive to the Malays who are still adjusting to the new political landscape.

"Malays had recoiled after Pakatan Harapan's aggressive reform push in 2018," he said,

He said it was "too much too soon", citing the appointments of the Attorney General, Finance Minister, Chief Justice and a woman politician to head the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency.

Malays form the majority in the country and it is crucial for the government of the day to command the Malay mandate.

"Umno represented the Malays for decades. It's not as if we don't know what Malays want but first, we need to put our own house in order," said Bastien Onn, the Segamat Umno deputy chief.

When campaigning during the Umno election in February, Bastien was often asked whether Umno would ever get the prime minister post again or be in control of Putrajaya.

That was when it struck Bastien that Malays, especially those in Umno, want a party that not only represents them but is dominant in national politics. Playing second fiddle is not good enough.

"Only then will the Malay feel secure," said Bastien.

> The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.