I’M a Kadazandusun from Sabah. If I were a Member of Parliament and, in the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s judgement, I had the support of my peers in the Dewan Rakyat, I still couldn’t become prime minister – if Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal has his way.
Article 43(2)(a) of the Federal Constitution states that the only requirement for a Malaysian to be appointed prime minister is to be an MP who, in the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s view, is likely to command majority support in Parliament. The Constitution makes no mention about having to be Malay or a Muslim.
However, Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal wants the Constitution amended so that only a Malay Muslim is qualified to be Malaysia’s prime minister.
“My proposal to Anwar is that this is the best time, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the Constitution so that only a Malay Muslim can be the Malaysian prime minister,” he wrote, referring to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Wan Ahmad Fayhsal was responding to remarks made by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang – at a meeting with Malaysian students in Manchester, United Kingdom, last month – that the Constitution does not stop any non-Malay from being the prime minister. Wan Ahmad Fayhsal wrote that Lim had created unease among Malays.
The Machang MP claimed that Lim’s statement was against the spirit of the Federation of Malaya “which emphasised the unity aspect of races based on respect for the social contract, the mandate of the Malay rulers and the ‘unwritten consensus’, among other things”.
His party president, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, jumped into the discussion. The Perikatan Nasional chairman claimed that DAP’s dominance in the Anwar government could make it possible for a non-Malay to become the prime minister.
“With the plan to redelineate certain constituencies, [DAP may end up having] a bigger voice in determining who becomes prime minister in the future,” the Pagoh MP said.
“Umno, which used to be dominant, has become a small party in a political alliance that is dominated by DAP. Whatever DAP demands, Umno has to follow.”
I hope Muhyiddin and Wan Ahmad Fayhsal were just playing politics with their statements. Hopefully, they were only trying to trap Anwar into saying the wrong thing and enraging Malay voters.
Pakatan Harapan chairman and PKR president Anwar responded by saying there is no need for the Constitution to be amended as there has been no serious request or discussion about this, so only a Malay MP can lead the nation.
“Since Merdeka until now, every prime ministerial candidate has been Malay. The candidates from both the government and the Opposition have always been Malay,” he said on Friday.
“So let’s move forward. We will look after the rights of all Malaysians, preserving the interests of every rakyat, every race and every territory,” he told reporters after performing Friday prayers in Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor.
It looks like Bersatu’s strategy is to try to make Anwar slip on a “race” banana peel to increase distrust of the Prime Minister among Malay voters.
But there is a flip side to this strategy: It continues to reinforce the stereotype among non-Malays that Perikatan is a racist coalition.
Based on the results of the 15th General Election in 2022 and the six state polls in 2023, Perikatan requires non-Malays’ support to form the federal government and rule states such as Selangor and Penang.
To win over parties from Sabah and Sarawak, which hold 25 and 31 parliamentary seats respectively, Perikatan must stop frightening Sabahans and Sarawakians who want a Malaysia where diversity is celebrated.
Most of my friends on the Borneo side of Malaysia fear Perikatan forming the federal government as they think it would push the interests of only one race. Wan Ahmad Fayhsal’s Malay-only PM statement reinforces this idea.
The stereotype is unfair to other Perikatan politicians, though.
For example, I hosted a pre- Christmas party this week at my house in Kampung Pogunon in Penampang, near Kota Kinabalu. My good friend, a Bersatu leader in Sabah, attended, and the Muslim/Bajau politician did not have any issue with the halal and non-halal food served.
While waiting for Christmas carollers to arrive, she told me that her siblings participated in carolling when they were growing up in northern Sabah.
I’ve also personally known some of Bersatu’s top leaders who are chill. Sometimes, their public and personal personas are contradictory. There’s one who I want to invite to visit my village in Penampang so that we can aramaitii (Sabah slang for “let’s be merry”).
The question is why does Perikatan continue to spook non-Malays if they need the support of the Borneo coalitions and parties to form the next federal government?
One answer is they probably know that if Bornean parties sense that Anwar’s government is falling – and whether Perikatan spooks the non-Malays or not – they will support the Opposition coalition, as that’s how politics works.
Politicians will always jump to join the eventual winner.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
