THE CHINESE MUST LEARN HOW TO BEAT UMNO AT ITS OWN GAME

51% of the Malaysian population is made up of Malays. The rural constituents, despite making up merely 26% (7.7million) of the 30 million Malaysian population, is the kingmaker every General Election. Umno is strong in the rural areas, and guess who forms the majority on the rural seats? The Malays.

Umno knows and understands the concerns of the Malay population. You could say it is because Umno themselves are made up of Malays, others meanwhile would argue that Umno has socially engineered the demography and created a system to suit their agenda. Either one, Umno has better grip of the Malay sentiment.

Religion

Islam is more than a religion. It is a way of life. A sarcastic joke made by a Chinese politician recently regarding an Umno delegate’s remarks on the MAS costume was turned into an “attack against Islam”. Even Muslim supporters of the opposition condemned him.

To most of the Chinese, donning the niqab (face-veil) might seem extreme or strange, but to the Muslim populace, it is perfectly fine. Likewise, the requirements of having four witnesses to prove a case under Hudud laws might seem ridiculous or outdated to non-Muslims, but to Muslims, it is the word of God that cannot be challenged.

If the majority of the Chinese in the opposition cannot grasp this, forget about GE14.

Special Position

The rural Malays are not stupid. They understand the issues of corruption, but at the same time are not convinced with Pakatan Harapan. This is “better the devil you know than the angel you don’t” perfectly orchestrated.

The special position should remain, but at the same time, the minorities should not be discriminated. How will this work when the special position itself is discriminatory you may ask.

Avoid unnecessarily harping on the removal of the special position under the Federal constitution. Instead, focus on explaining policies that do not discriminate in a different angle. The essence of equality is that all underprivileged citizens will receive assistance. Believe it or not, at the end of the day, the majority of the recipients will still be the Malays. This is because the Malays form the majority of the population.

In Selangor, the majority end users of the free 20 cubic metres are the Malays. The Tabung Warisan Anak Negeri Selangor saving scheme for newborns, iKahwin for newly-weds and Skim Mesra Usia Emas for senior citizens do not discriminate the minorities. At the same time, the majority of its recipients are the Malays.
Why poke a beehive for honey when you can get them in the supermarket?

Malay history

Malays have nostalgias of heroes of the past. Tunku Abdul Rahman is one of them, and today, we even see how Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has managed to sway sentiments against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Likewise among the opposition supporters, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will always have a special place in the hearts of the Malays. Perhaps, this is something the non-Bumiputeras should try grasping.

How many of the urbanite non-Malays reminiscent Li Bai or even Tan Cheng Lok these days? Almost none. The Malays meanwhile, have a deeper sense of belonging to their race or culture, be it in terms of poetry, arts or even politics. Usman Awang, Munsyi Abdullah, Tunku Abdul Rahman, and even Mahathir are fine examples.

Language

“Bahasa Melayu is not important, Mandarin and English is more important”. Really?

My point is not to ridicule opinions like this, but to offer a different perspective. Language is the key to effective communication and that is why grasping mandarin is a bonus for companies who deal with booming economies like China. While mandarin and English play a vital role internationally, how effective is it within Malaysia itself?

It is no surprise that most Chinese have only a handful of non-Chinese friends. For the majority of Malaysians, Bahasa Melayu is the lingua franca. There is no use discussing among the urbanites or even among the Chinese as to how bad UMNO is. We all know that.

Instead, find a way to transmit this to the Malay heartland. In fact, disseminating alone is insufficient, the listeners need much convincing.
Ruling out the use of Bahasa Melayu is akin to burning a bridge before getting across the river. Imagine yourself as an insurance agent trying to convince a client, will you try to accommodate the client’s schedule or otherwise?

The same logic applies here. In order to take out Umno, you will have to woo the support of the Malay fence-sitters. An optimist will attempt through as many ways possible, from attending to his needs to speaking his language and even to approaching him. A supremacist meanwhile, would say that “hey kampong folk, this is the message, take it or leave it.” Which one works better?

The role of PAS

While the urbanites take weekend evenings to socialize, work or even spend time with friends and family, the Malay Muslims in the rural areas prefer something different. You will find them in a religious ceramah, whether big or small, in a surau or even the compound of a house.

At this point in time, only Pas can chalk off the support from Umno. Face it, pitting Amanah against PAS will only antagonize Amanah and fortify the sentiment that Amanah is a stooge of DAP. Amanah will grow from strength to strength, but as of today, it is not a hidden secret that Amanah’s strength lies solely within the semi-urban and urban areas.

For Amanah to grow, DAP and its supporters ought to keep a distance. Avoid proving Umno right unnecessarily. At the same time, urbanites, especially the non-Bumiputeras, should also avoid poking unnecessary ‘beehives’ that will allow Umno to easily turn them into an “attack against Islam/Malays”.

Hope

The difference between now and the months prior to GE13 is the absence of ‘hope’. I remember how Anwar Ibrahim wooed support. He placed hope in the hearts of Malaysians, and made Malaysians believe that change is actually possible.

He did so by acknowledging the fact that the system is unfair and rigged. The only way to maneuver is to play by the rules set by the winners. Anwar acknowledged that change is only possible when Barisan Nasional is taken to a straight fight. He proved this by denying BN two-thirds in 2008 and again in 2013 by denying BN the majority of the popular votes.

Anwar is now in prison, and things seem to be falling apart. While campaigns are ongoing to free him, let us as Malaysians do our part. I beg those reading this, especially the tech savvy ones from the city, to not live in boxes, but spend a week in the rural areas of Peninsular. You will see the difference. - http://www.theheatmalaysia.com/