PBM entering a crowded market for multiracialism, says analyst

 

PBM chief Zuraida Kamaruddin (left) said her party will launch a Bangsa Malaysia doctrine which will focus on Malaysians accepting each other’s way of life. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Parti Bangsa Malaysia is entering a crowded market for multiracial parties in Peninsular Malaysia, says political analyst James Chin.

He said PBM would be competing with other parties also “selling” the multiracial concept.

“Muda is coming in, Warisan is coming. Unfortunately this is the worst time to promote a multiracial party as the market in Peninsular Malaysia is crowded,” said Chin, who is with the University of Tasmania’s Asia Institute.

Established parties such as PKR and DAP, nominally multiracial, were open to membership from all races. “They don’t stop people from joining, although it is understood that PKR is Malay-led and DAP is Chinese-led,” he said.

Earlier, at PBM’s first general assembly, president-designate Zuraida Kamaruddin said her party will launch a “Bangsa Malaysia” doctrine which will focus on Malaysians accepting each other’s way of life.

PBM cited multiracialism as the first of its core principles, the others being women and youth empowerment, focus on economic development, education and the advancement of science and technology.

Chin said if PBM does not win any seats in the coming election the party will find it difficult to survive, regardless of its multiracial stance.

“The way it works in the Malaysian system is that people don’t take you seriously if you do not have a presence in Parliament, so they (PBM) really need to win some seats,” he said.

Chin also said in the wider context of Malaysian politics, the space for multiracial politics is getting smaller, and this has been made worse by the rise of political Islam, any interpretation of Islam as a source of political identity and action.

“The dividing line in Malaysia now is Islam. Hence, you see people like PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and Umno playing the Islamic card because whether you like it or not, those sorts of things really work, especially among the rural Malays,” said Chin.

Political scientist Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said he doubted PBM’s ability to succeed with its multiracial stance.

One reason was the manner in which PBM was formed. “The party does not have a strong base, it’s a party that started with MPs jumping from other parties,” said Azmi.

In contrast, parties like Muda, which started from scratch, were more likely to be able to attract support with a multiracial stand because it was a party that started with the people.

Azmi said it was doubtful that PBM’s Bangsa Malaysia doctrine would attract the support it desires. - FMT