The poetry of power plays

Men of words: Anwar (left) started things off with a gentle nudge about federal unity despite state-level battles, and Ahmad Zahid responded with a reassurance – of sorts. — Bernama/MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star

TUMBUH selasih di tepi jeti,

Mekar melati indah gubahan;

BN dan PN kini sehati,

Ganding bahu tentang Pakatan.

(Basil grows beside the jetty / Jasmine blooms in a lovely arrangement / BN and PN now share one mind / Joining forces to take on Pakatan.)

Since the state elections have brought out the berpantun (the traditional Malay art of exchanging rhyming quatrains) talent of Prime Minister and Pakatan Harapan chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim alongside Deputy Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, I thought I would try my hand at crafting a few verses of my own.

On Wednesday, amidst rising Negri Sembilan campaign heat, the PKR president posted a pantun on social media alongside smiley photographs of a federal Cabinet meeting:

“Burung merbah terbang sekawan,

“Guruh berdentum membelah awan;

“Berbeza langkah, jangan putus kawan,

“Selagi muafakat, kita sehaluan.”

(A flock of straw-headed bulbuls flies together / Thunder rumbles, splitting the clouds / Though our paths may diverge, let us not break friendship / As long as there is consensus, we share the same course.)

The core message was a reminder of political decorum: while Pakatan and Barisan contest each other at the state level, national consensus and working relationships within the unity government must remain intact.

The very next day, Zahid balas (replied in kind with a counter-pantun):

“Mendaki ke Gunung Tahan,

“Jatuh ke gaung, temui maut;

“Bumbung tercabut, mampu ditahan,

“Jika ribut, diterbangkan ke laut.”

(Climbing up Gunung Tahan / Falling into a ravine leads to death / A roof torn off can still be held down / If a storm comes, it gets blown out to sea.)

The Umno president’s response could be read as a signal that state electoral turbulence will not collapse the overarching roof of the Putrajaya partnership, provided both sides manage the fallout responsibly. Note the last line, though, which to me sounds like a warning about the relationship facing a full-blown storm.

In Malaysian politics, the pantun is far more than a poetic flourish; it is an instrument of strategic indirectness (kiasan). Malay political decorum values subtlety, and a well-crafted four-line stanza allows leaders to deliver jabs, signal a truce, or test political waters without breaking the veneer of propriety. It disarms tension on the campaign trail and converts complex coalition competition into memorable, culturally resonant soundbites.

Any discussion about political rhyming in Malaysia must acknowledge the Raja Pantun: Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Maslan of Umno. The Pontian MP and Deputy Minister of Works is legendary for weaving four-line stanzas into campaign speeches.

During the March 2022 Johor elections, Ahmad hit the campaign trail with this hook:

“Jika tuan pergi memancing,

“Jangan lupa membawa umpan;

“Jika tak mahu kena kencing,

“Jangan sokong ‘parti itu’.”

(If you go out fishing / Do not forget to bring bait / If you do not want to be tricked / Do not support ‘that party’.)

Ahmad was recycling a viral verse he originally debuted during the November 2019 Tanjung Piai parliamentary by-election. Back then, opposition Barisan’s candidate Datuk Seri Wee Jeck Seng (MCA) successfully wrested the seat back from the ruling Pakatan. In 2019, the target was explicitly named:

“Jika tuan pergi memancing,

“Jangan lupa membawa umpan;

“Jika tidak mahu kena kencing,

“Jangan undi Pakatan Harapan (Don’t vote for Pakatan Harapan).”

Swapping “Pakatan Harapan” with the deliberate wildcard “parti itu” during the Johor campaign demonstrated how the Raja Pantun maintained his signature humour while navigating fluid multicoalition dynamics. It allowed him to throw a punch on stage that every supporter understood, while retaining plausible deniability about which rival party was being referenced.

In Negri Sembilan, the coalition maths creates intriguing friction. The odd man out is Bersatu. The Perikatan component party acts almost like an “opposition to the opposition”, competing aggressively even where it splits votes. In 24 seats, Bersatu is facing Barisan/Perikatan and Pakatan.

Patah dahan pohon kuini,

Hanyut daun ke Teluk Kemang;

Bersatu menentang pembangkang sendiri,

Laluan PH jadi lebih senang.

(A branch snaps from the kuini tree / Leaves drift down to Teluk Kemang / Bersatu fights its own opposition allies / Making the path easier for PH to win.)

Will this paradox of Bersatu playing spoiler inadvertently hand Pakatan a clear advantage? Or could dynamic vote-splitting force Bersatu to re-evaluate its allies moving forward and make a decision to embrace Pakatan?

Bersatu’s former ally in Pakatan, DAP, remains the electoral powerhouse of the Pakatan coalition in the state. In the 2023 Negri Sembilan state elections, Pakatan won 17 seats: DAP secured 11, PKR won five, and Amanah took one.

However, DAP’s dominance comes with a strategic trade-off regarding Malay voter sentiment:

Sampai bila hendak bertengkar,

Sambil berlayar ke Teluk Belungkur;

Gempuran DAP makin membakar,

Pengundi Melayu bulat melebur.

(How long shall we argue / Sailing out towards Teluk Belungkur / As DAP’s attacks grow more intense / Malay voters unite firmly as one.)

When DAP’s rhetoric turns sharp against Umno and PAS, it risks a sharp backlash, alienating fence-sitting Malay voters and driving them to consolidate behind the Barisan/Perikatan block instead.

So what’s my forecast for the 36 state seats up for grabs in Negri Sembilan?

Tenang berkaca muara Linggi,

Tempat berlabuh bahtera nakhoda;

Dua gabungan melangkah tinggi,

Arus berubah menanti masa.

(Mirror-still rests the Linggi estuary / Where the captain’s vessel docks to rest / Two coalitions march on high / A shifting tide awaits its time.)