Chase reforms instead of conservative Malay votes, govt urged

 

Former DAP election strategist Ong Kian Ming says the government should implement political finance reforms quickly. (Keluar Sekejap Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: Former MP Ong Kian Ming has urged the unity government to focus on carrying out economic, social and institutional reforms rather than chasing conservative Malay votes that went to Perikatan Nasional.

He said there is still time to go to the middle ground where there are conservative Malays who care about economic growth and inclusiveness in job opportunities.

These conservative voters hail from states like Kedah, Terengganu and Pahang but work in the urban parts of the country. “They will look at the (government’s) performance in urban areas and then assess whether the government will deliver (in other states) or not,” he said.

“So you can’t just double down (on performing) in some areas. You need to expand that mindset more (to other areas),” said Ong, speaking in an episode of the Keluar Sekejap podcast hosted by Khairy Jamaluddin and Shahril Hamdan.

Ong, a former DAP election strategist, is a professor at Taylor’s University.

He said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his Cabinet must empower themselves to undertake reforms.

He urged the government to swiftly introduce the Political Financing Act and provide equal allocation to opposition MPs. “Who knows, after the next general election, you might be on the other side. So do it now while you still can.”

Khairy had asked if Anwar would backtrack on implementing some reforms following the outcome of the legislative assembly elections in six states, in which PN made inroads in Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan while retaining power in Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan.

Ong said several ministers, besides Anwar, needed to speak more about the Madani economic policies, including the progressive wage model.

He singled out human resources minister V Sivakumar as an example, saying his DAP colleague needed to speak more about the policy since wages came under his ministry’s purview.

“Don’t put the entire burden on the shoulders of the prime minister and (economy minister) Rafizi Ramli. Others need to start (speaking about it).”

Don’t be too excited about NS success, says Khairy

Khairy Jalaluddin, a former Umno Youth leader, said Umno cannot be too excited about winning 14 seats in Negeri Sembilan, as the party had majorities of less than 700 in eight of the 14 seats.

Ong agreed, he said Umno has seen a dip in support in Negeri Sembilan, from 32% of vote share at the 2022 general election to 23% in the state polls. Similarly, PH’s support in the state declined slightly from 44% to 39%.

Khairy said this trend is proof that Negeri Sembilan is becoming a marginal state and that Umno cannot be too happy about its victories.

“If you look at the surface level, it is a huge victory but in terms of majority, it is not that big,” he said. - FMT