Study finds urban Malays fearful of change

They don't want to see a change to the Malay agenda, according to a study by Ideas.

PETALING JAYA: An independent study on the possible voting pattern of urban Malays in five states has shown that they are angry with Umno, but not enough to make them reject Barisan Nasional in favour of Pakatan Harapan.

The research was carried out by the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) in Alor Star, Batu Pahat and parts of Selangor, Malacca and Perak from April to November last year.

Ideas CEO Wan Saiful Jan said urban Malays were upset over corruption in Umno.

However, he added, they were uncertain over whether a Pakatan government would support the Malay agenda.

“The main concern is about the dominance of DAP,” he said. “There is a concern about the Malay agenda and the level of control PH will have on Islamic issues.”

The findings were based on opinions expressed in group discussions on various issues. Among the factors taken into account were attitudes towards BN and Najib as well as Pakatan and its chairman, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Wan Saiful said Malays who had made it in life felt they had much to lose with a change of government. For example, they feared economic instability, which could cause a drop in the value of their unit trusts, he said.

“Some who may have made millions under the current government would likely not be brave enough to vote for change.”

He added that poor urban Malays were also concerned over possible changes to the Malay agenda.

“They are also feudalistic in the way they think. When they do not see successful Malay figures coming in droves with PH, they would not vote for change. In PH, they see only Mahathir, Muhyiddin Yassin and Mukhriz Mahathir as successful.”

In contrast, he added, Umno provided a sense of stability with its corporate figures, general managers in government-linked companies and other big personalities.

He said urban Malays were not convinced that Pakatan could govern well even though they were aware that it offered solutions to problems such as the rising cost of living.

“While they do not place such high expectations on the ruling BN, their expectations from a new government are very high,” he said.

“Even when PH offers them policy solutions, they would say that is not enough. They are just too afraid of the change.”

As of November 2017, there were 43 urban seats in Malaysia, constituting 19% of the 222 parliamentary seats. Out of that, 14 were Malay majority constituencies, 16 predominantly Chinese and 13 mixed.

Fifty-four seats, or 24% of the 222, were semi-urban. Of these, 27 were Malay-majority and 12 Chinese-majority. Eleven were mixed and three were Bumiputera Sabah and one Bumiputera Sarawak.

Wan Saiful also said DAP and Umno fed on each other. The stronger DAP became among the non-Malays, the stronger Umno would become among the Malays due to fears over loss of the Malay agenda.

He added that while voters who prioritised cost of living and governance as key issues were likely to vote for Pakatan, those who wanted to protect the Malay agenda were likely to go for BN.

“That is what the coming general election will be about,” he said.

“Whether in rural or in urban areas, almost all Malays will be thinking about the Malay agenda. Most people might assume the more educated person is less likely to vote for the Malay agenda. That is not the case.”

He also said voters saw Mahathir’s leading presence in PH as indicating that the opposition alliance had failed to groom new leaders.

“They find him to be more credible and trusted than Najib, but also see him as someone who started most of the problems that the country is facing now,” he added. -FMT