Saying prime minister Najib Razak’s highly publicised visit to Gaza in Occupied Palestine was nothing more than political ploy to boost support of the Malay-Muslim electorate, two political experts however dismissed its impact on the target group's voting pattern.
An associate professor of political science at Singapore Management University described the visit as being “primarily a political ploy aimed at winning Malay-Muslim support” in the looming general election.
“(It’s just a pattern of Najib) trying to seek international legitimacy for a [Malaysian] regime that is being challenged at home,” said Bridget Welsh, as quoted by news portal World Politics Review (WPR).
Welsh however opined that the impact should not be overstated, though she said Islam and issues of morality play a part in Malaysia politics, as is the issue of Palestine which is considered an important Muslim cause.
Welsh said the angry outburst by Mahmoud Abbas, the president of Palestinian Authority alligned to Hamas's rival Fatah, showed how the Palestinian cause was “used symbolically” for political purposes in Malaysia “with limited attention to its actual reality”.
Joseph Liow, associate dean of the School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University Singapore echoed her point, saying Najib’s visit may not have any impact on Malaysian electorate.
-Harakahdaily
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.