Heartland politics are different between east and west

 

The Malay heartland and the Borneo heartland make up Malaysia but they are as different as night and day.

Many articles have been written about the Malay psyche, or the psychology of the Malay people. Most of the articles seem to be based on mere conjecture.

One common theory is that Malays follow their leaders blindly, condone corruption while living in a feudalistic society with absolute reverence for their rulers and leaders.

However, this theory has been upturned by former prime minister Najib Razak when he declared “cash is king”.

Secondly, there’s leadership by example. In the Netflix series “Dirty Money” on corruption and money laundering, featuring Najib, Malay fishermen interviewed said if others are doing it, why not Najib. The immune syndrome and acceptance have become a norm for the rural Malays.

Money politics and religion in the Malay heartland

Rural Malays are made out to be simpletons who follow their leaders blindly like lemmings jumping off the cliff. The truth is religion keeps them in check while money keeps them happy.

Kelantan and Kedah are the poorest states in Malaysia because of inequality and unbalanced development in terms of wealth, income, education, and infrastructure, according to former minister Mustapa Mohamed.

There are other underlying reasons he forgot to mention. Umno’s tactic has always been to keep people numb, using religion to control their minds and giving cash handouts to make them dependent on the government.

There are many rural Malays that embody the Malay culture of politeness, respect, law abiding and live in fear of God. But when cash is king and our leaders show bad examples, then people accept corruption as a way of life. As the saying goes: “A fish rots from the head down.”

Religion complicates matters. It teaches people to accept their fate and put their hands in God. That’s what blind faith does to you. You don’t question, you just follow the leader and become numb.

The trend of money politics is the same everywhere and it will continue in GE15. In Sabah, free goodies, like blue water tanks, building materials to prop up your broken-down houses, free flow of beer, food and cash handouts will be used to entice voters.

There is a saying that familiarity breeds contempt, but free money can sometimes be a godsend.

Freedom of religion, unity, and diversity

In Sabah, race and religion are not campaign issues. Umno-BN which has ruled Sabah for more than a decade cannot use the same tactic as the one used in the Malay heartland.

Money politics is still prevalent along with the empty promise of more development. Religion is personal and all races respect and celebrate each other’s culture.

There are no issues of wishing people Merry Christmas or saying RIP (rest in peace) of the departed. Concerts and beer festivals are welcomed. Intermarriages are common and it can be said that Borneo is truly Malaysia.

However, despite Gabungan Parti Sarawak supplying the 18 seats to keep the federal government in power, and Umno’s presence in Sabah since the 1990s, the annual federal budgets allocated to Sabah and Sarawak are still insufficient.

Warisan’s theme, “We are here to build a nation, not a particular race or religion” resonates with most West Malaysians, where race and religion has been used to divide the population.

Although money politics is still a factor in electing candidates, Warisan is riding high on its popularity minus the logistics strength and financial clout of Umno. Warisan, contesting in all 25 parliamentary seats, is out to challenge the norms of money politics.

The greater Borneo concept – go local

Warisan has made overtures to Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) to form an all local party coalition. So far it has received lukewarm response and (PBS) is still with the ruling coalition Gabungan Rakyat Sabah led by Bersatu.

However, Joseph Pairin Kitingan, the founder member of PBS, made a surprising statement recently urging Sabahans to support local-based parties and form a greater Borneo alliance with Sarawak.

Sabah and Sarawak’s combined 56 parliamentary seats can keep Umno in check if the greater Borneo concept takes hold. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.