Ditching ‘Malaysian Malaysia’ motto would be costly for DAP, say analysts

 

Senior Umno members have said the DAP motto should be dropped in order for the party to gain Malay support.

PETALING JAYA: Political analysts believe that DAP would lose its voter base and be seen as being unprincipled if it ditches its motto of a “Malaysian Malaysia”.

Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya said the party would risk losing its non-Malay support, especially among the Chinese community.

“DAP would also be seen as not having solid principles and compromising too much with the unity government,” he told FMT.

Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs said the party could “kiss goodbye” to its progressive, reformist support base and “wallow in political oblivion” if the motto was dropped.

“I don’t think (that ditching the slogan will help DAP woo Malay voters), it would be to no political avail whatsoever,” he said.

“Malaysian Malaysia” has been a catchphrase associated with DAP and its leaders since its founding in 1966.

A party document states that “Our original ideology was democratic socialism that promotes the idea of Malaysian Malaysia – unity in diversity in a multitracial and multicultural nation”. DAP later adopted social democracy as its ideology, to be “more embracing of diverse democratic and progressive viewpoints”.

Umno leaders have urged the party to consider dropping its motto if it wanted to gain support from the Malay community.

Supreme Council member Nur Jazlan Mohamed said Malays are hesitant to fully support DAP because of its agenda of a secular state which he said “contradicts Islamic and Malay principles”.

Segamat Umno deputy chief Bastien Onn said DAP’s refusal to drop its slogan will dent chances of rebuilding Malay support for both Umno and DAP.

The two parties, who have long been bitter adversaries, are now allies in the unity government coalition through Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional.

Awang Azman said DAP needs to explain the meaning of “Malaysian Malaysia” to the Malay masses so that it would not be misinterpreted.

DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook has said the party does not need to do so as he had clarified the provisions in the party’s constitution, which had caused some concern among Malays, before the unity government’s formation.

Asked why Umno’s leaders were now making the slogan an issue, Awang Azman placed the blame on former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad for stoking fear among the Malays as part of his anti-DAP agenda.

“When the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional cooperation (was formed), the Malays were worried about this slogan that had been misinterpreted by Mahathir, as if it was against the country’s constitution.

“We know that if it actually went against the constitution, DAP would have been deregistered a long time ago,” he added.

Oh was of the view that Umno leaders were using the issue to divert attention away from their own failure to retain support among Malay voters.

Political analyst James Chin of the University of Tasmania believes Umno’s leaders want to prove to the Malay community that they can dominate the non-Malay parties in PH as Umno did to MCA and MIC in BN.

“They (Umno) are trying to send the Malay community the message that ‘you can vote for Umno, no problem. We will make sure that we dominate the non-Malays in PH as well’,” he said. - FMT