Alternative political model needed for rural communities

The recent Cameron Highlands parliamentary by-election won by Barisan Nasional (BN) does nothing to suggest the popularity or unpopularity of the former or the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition. It merely suggests the epistemological character of many rural or semi-rural constituencies in the country or elsewhere.

BN might have won with the support of PAS, but the electoral support given largely by the Malays and Orang Asli to these political parties was merely a reflection of their cultural disposition to maintain or prolong their subsistence ethic.

Despite the social and economic problems faced by the rural communities in Cameron Highlands, largely brought by the BN government in the past six decades or so, the rural communities still gave their support to BN. Why?

Was it because of BN’s promises or the lacklustre performance of PH?

I think the answer might not be readily available in the political realm per se. In fact, it was the nature of the economic subsistence of the rural communities in Cameron Highlands that predisposed them to cast their vote for BN.

Again, it was not a popular vote for BN as such, but the cultural and social predisposition of the two main rural communities.

Structural factors play an important part in how rural or peasant communities organise their support or opposition for political parties

However class conflict is not a sufficient explanation for the ultimate opposition or affiliation of rural communities.

Alternatively, the behavioural pattern of rural communities must be located in the phenomenological realm of ideas, thoughts and politics in the moral economy of these communities.

The thesis of moral economy argues that as long as the subsistence of rural communities are not drastically affected by change, politically there will always a tendency to support those who have maintained the status quo – in other words, kept intact the moral economy of the rural communities.

Rural communities are not bereft of ideas. They understand their objective situation very well and respond appropriately in a subjective manner to the changing circumstances.

Thus, in the Cameron Highlands by-election, BN might take great pride in making a political comeback whereas PH might be heavily criticised for losing the election despite having the reins of the federal government, but such reflections are far from the truth.

Both political coalitions have failed to understand the moral economy of the rural communities. For BN, it is always political expediency, whatever the cost. But little do these BN politicians realise that the moral economy of the rural areas cannot be kept intact forever. Change is coming.

PH has much to learn, but using the BN model to gain support from rural areas might not work. The combination of race, religion and subsistence conservatism might not endear the rural communities to PH.

PH needs to adopt a different kind of epistemology to gain the support of rural communities, something that would be qualitatively different from what is employed by PAS and Umno.

A moral economy reinforced by race and religion might have serious political implications for PH, which is trying to promote democracy, justice and freedom for all Malaysians.

P Ramasamy is Penang deputy chief minister II. - FMT