Malaysia’s Hate-Politics Political Culture

Pakatan Harapan needs people to continue to hate Najib for another four years until the next general election in 2023. If Najib is forgotten and the hate-Najib factor dies off, then Pakatan Harapan will be in trouble. In the 2023 general election, Pakatan Harapan will be kicked out and Barisan Nasional (of course, with the help of PAS and the parties from Sabah and Sarawak) will take back the government.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

The latest spat between Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the Tunku Mahkota of Johor, Duli Yang Amat Mulia Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, demonstrates the no-holds-barred hate-politics political culture of Malaysia.

There are no longer any taboos or sacred cows and everything is fair game. The Malays can be called pendatang or immigrants and can be asked to go back to Indonesia. Islamic Sharia laws can be called barbaric and outdated and fit only for the middle ages. Malays who cooperate with each other can be called Taliban, racists and extremists. Malays who fight each other can be called liberals and moderate Muslims. The Monarchy can be called a waste of money that serves no purpose and should be abolished.

Mahathir has adopted a no-holds-barred strategy in attacking the Raja-Raja Melayu like he did 30 years ago

The list goes on. Basically, in the name of democracy and freedom of speech, you can say whatever you like about the Malays, Islam and the Raja-Raja Melayu. There are no longer any restrictions and boundaries.

And the purpose of this is to make Malaysians hate Umno and PAS — and everything associated with Umno and PAS (the Malays, Islam, Bahasa Malaysia, and the Raja-Raja Melayu).

This hate-politics, plus the lies about 1MDB, the ‘pink diamond’, etc., is what helped Pakatan Harapan win the May 2018 general election. Added to that was the promise of a land of milk and honey and roads paved with gold once Pakatan Harapan takes over. In short, Pakatan Harapan played on the sentiments of the people.

Pakatan Harapan needs Malaysians to continue to hate Najib and Rosmah for another four years

But sentiments do not last. In the 1999 general election, the opposition played that same card. The only thing is in 1999 it was the hate-Mahathir sentiment while in 2018 it was the hate-Najib sentiment.

Mahathir knew that the result of the 1999 general election was because the opposition successfully played hate-politics. So, in November 2003, he handed the post of prime minister to Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and in the 2004 general election five month later, the opposition got wiped out and Barisan Nasional won 91% of the seats in Parliament.

So, can the hate-Najib factor extend to the next general election around 2023 or so? Najib is no longer prime minister like Mahathir was no longer prime minister in 2004. In 2004 the hate-Mahathir factor was no longer relevant. Can the hate-Najib factor remain relevant in 2023?

If Malaysians stop hating Najib and Umno, they will start hating the government

That is why the Pakatan Harapan government is repeating its mantra again and again. Pakatan Harapan needs to keep telling the people that Malaysia is in trouble and the reason the country is in trouble is because of Najib.

Pakatan Harapan needs people to continue to hate Najib for another four years until the next general election in 2023. If Najib is forgotten and the hate-Najib factor dies off, then Pakatan Harapan will be in trouble. In the 2023 general election, Pakatan Harapan will be kicked out and Barisan Nasional (of course, with the help of PAS and the parties from Sabah and Sarawak) will take back the government.

Pakatan Harapan learned its lesson in 2004. In 1999, they successfully worked up the people into a hate frenzy but did not carry that frenzy into the 2004 general election. And they paid a heavy price for that. So, they need to make sure the hate-Najib frenzy (and hate Umno-Barisan Nasional as well) is carried into the next general election.

And that is why every day the name Najib Tun Razak is mentioned by the leaders of Pakatan Harapan. They need Malaysians to continue to hate Najib and Umno right up to 2023 or else Pakatan Harapan is going to be a one-term government.