Malay voters’ suspicions about DAP undid Anwar’s efforts, says analyst

A lecturer says Anwar Ibrahim’s government must do more than take action against LGBTQ activists to bolster Malay-Muslim support. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: Suspicions held by Malay voters towards DAP neutralised Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s efforts to show his government was still championing the Malay-Muslim cause, an analyst said.

Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said the stern action taken against those purportedly pushing the LGBTQ agenda, including the seizure of Swatch’s Pride collection watches, failed to convince the Malay electorate.

“The majority of the Malays are still suspicious of DAP, even though lately, the party seems to be more moderate in handling political issues,” he told FMT.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang had previously accused DAP leaders of supporting the LGBT agenda, while the opposition has often claimed that DAP is in control of Pakatan Harapan.

Mazlan believes Anwar and Umno needed more time prior to the state elections to restore the confidence of the Malays via policy reform.

He was commenting on the outcome of the six state elections on Saturday, in which Perikatan Nasional built upon its majorities in Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan while making headway in PH-held Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said the action taken against Swatch and the government’s handling of the Good Vibes Festival fallout “did not matter” to the majority of the Malay electorate, who largely live in rural areas.

The festival sparked controversy after the frontman of a UK band kissed his male bandmate and criticised the country’s anti-LGBT laws. The government cancelled the music festival immediately and blacklisted the band from performing in Malaysia.

Azmi said such issues only mattered to urban voters.

“It takes more than stern action after the Good Vibes Festival and raiding Swatch outlets on religious grounds to attract the Malays. This is not enough to show that Putrajaya is defending the Malays or Islam,” he said.

Azmi said PAS was “very good’ at using religion to woo Malay voters, with the party synonymous with Islam in states like Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu and Perlis.

PAS supporters believe the party can be trusted to uphold Islamic values and teachings due to the perception that its leaders were “clean” compared to their counterparts in PKR, Umno and Amanah. - FMT