Use safe seats to get more Malays elected, DAP told

 

13 Malay candidates were fielded by DAP in the 2022 general election but only 3 won their contests.

PETALING JAYA: A political scientist has proposed that DAP field more Malay candidates in “safe seats”, thereby increasing the number of Malay elected representatives in its ranks and bolstering its position as a multiracial party.

James Chin of the University of Tasmania said unless DAP had a significant number of Malay state assembly members and MPs, it would be difficult to present itself as multiracial.

“If they can increase the number of Malay candidates elected, that will make a huge difference,” he told FMT.

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“It’s not just the number of candidates fielded, but the number of candidates elected,” he said when commenting on DAP’s efforts to boost Malay support.

DAP has long struggled to find a foothold in the Malay community, with its political enemies branding it as a chauvinist party over its struggle for the Chinese language and Chinese independent schools.

At the 2022 general election, DAP fielded 13 Malay candidates in parliamentary and state assembly seats. Only three won – Syerleena Abdul Rashid (Bukit Bendera), Young Syefura Othman (Bentong) and Syahredzan Johan (Bangi).

The three victories were in parliamentary seats with either a non-Malay majority electorate or with a high percentage of non-Malay voters.

Chin said the shrinking population of Chinese in Malaysia and the growing Malay population meant having more Malays leaders in Parliament was becoming more important for DAP.

Another political analyst, Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid of Universiti Sains Malaysia, said among the challenges that DAP faced was the way party leaders pushed for reforms.

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Their approach did not always appear to be in line with the religious sensitivities of Malays.

“It is not enough to simply allocate funds for Islamic education and programmes to dignify Islam as they did in Penang,” he said. “DAP must also display an attitude parallel to those of Malay-Muslims in many social issues.”

He cited statements made by former DAP MPs including Charles Santiago and Kasthuri Patto against the prosecution of sexual and religious minorities.

Ahmad Fauzi said although those statements were personal views and did not reflect the party’s stand, opponents of DAP could use the arguments against the party, by accusing DAP of being liberal, among other things. - FMT