MAKE MALAYS FEEL PART OF ‘NEW MALAYSIA’ – DON’T MAKE THEM FEEL ‘STUPID, LAZY, CORRUPT & RACIST’: ANALYSTS TELL MAHATHIR & CO TO KEEP HIGHLIGHTING THEIR SUCCESSES ESPECIALLY IN REVAMPING MALAY-FOCUSED AGENCIES

PUTRAJAYA needs to change tack to win over Malay voters and be rid of the anti-Malay/Islam label used by a resurgent opposition, said experts.

They said Pakatan Harapan leaders, instead of criticising Malays for being lazy, simple-minded and tolerant of corruption, should be persuasive and endearing.

As PH nears its first year in power, academics and experts warned that opposition parties Umno and PAS, as well as their allies, are building an aggressive Malay nationalist movement to unseat the administration in the 15th general election.

The movement, seen in two recent rallies and a rise in racist rhetoric online and in by-elections, is based on the perception that the ruling pact is sidelining Malays and Islam.

However, said political scientist Dr Mazlan Ali, there has been no evidence that the administration is crippling Malay and Islamic institutions.

In fact, the opposite is true, said Eekmal Ahmad, a policy researcher with the Selangor PH government.

He said both the state and federal administrations have increased funding for Islamic institutions, such as religious affairs departments, and personnel, like imam and teachers.

PH has also taken action to “repair” agencies that serve the community’s interests, such as Felda and Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH), he added.

The experts said what the pact has not been doing is actively highlighting its successes to the public.

Political scientist Dr Mazlan Ali says the government needs to use the media effectively to promote the good it has done. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, May 5, 2019.

“These myths and perceptions are being stirred up to make it seem that the government is anti-Malay and anti-Islam. To deal with this, the government must increase its publicity,” said Mazlan, a senior lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

“The government needs to use the media effectively as the people are not getting the information they need,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Eekmal and Mazlan said the facts to dispute Umno and PAS’ Malay nationalist myths are at hand, and all that is required of the government is to spread them. These include:

•  The Selangor PH government earmarked about RM700 million out of RM2.5 billion for Islamic development programmes and agencies, the biggest single allocation in the state’s budget for last year; and,
•  Spending RM17.8 billion and RM6.3 billion to bail out and rescue TH and Felda, respectively, after years of mismanagement and graft by Umno drove both institutions into the red.

PH needs to stress on the positives and cut back on the negatives when addressing Malays, said Eekmal.

“They need to endear themselves to Malays instead of criticising them. Let Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad chide Malays. The rest should just work hard and deliver.”  

Statements about Malays being lazy, corrupt and racist should be avoided, he said, as they can alienate members of the community.

“Malays don’t feel that they are part of the ‘New Malaysia’. They are also bombarded with accusations that they are low-class, racist, corrupt and lazy.

“These accusations have caused deep-seated resentment, and will make them feel sidelined and bullied.” 

THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT