Amanah should be the party championing the Malay-Muslim cause in the coalition government rather than leaving the job to Umno, a political analyst said.
According to Universiti Malaysia Terengganu’s (UMT) Literacy and Advocacy Unit research fellow Mohd Yusri Ibrahim, Amanah’s progressive and centrist political approach seems idealistic but is not practical in the country’s political climate.
“Amanah should be the Pakatan Harapan component party championing issues related to the Malays,” he told Malaysiakini.
Yusri recently penned a social media post on Harapan’s failure to attract Malay votes in the Sungai Bakap by-election.
He questioned why Umno is tasked to attract Malay votes when the party is only “temporarily” part of the ruling administration by virtue of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decree to form a coalition government after the 15th general election.
“If not to strengthen the Malay-Muslim segment, then what is Amanah’s function in Harapan?” he asked.
He also compared the PAS splinter party’s role in campaigning in by-elections to Umno.
“Throughout campaigning in the Sungai Bakap by-election, Umno worked along with 5,000 of its members.
“I did not see any reports on how many Amanah members were working in the constituency,” he said.
‘Armchair criticism’
Amanah deputy president Mujahid Yusof Rawa dismissed Yusri’s remarks as mere “armchair criticism”.
He said it is unfair to compare Amanah’s presence in Sungai Bakap to Umno's.
“Umno has been in the country for decades but we are only eight years old.
“Of course, their (Umno’s) grassroots are bigger than ours,” he said, adding that about 500 Amanah grassroots members in Sungai Bakap had cast their votes for Harapan candidate Joohari Ariffin in the by-election.
He further dismissed claims that Amanah machinery was “invisible” during the campaign.
According to him, the party machinery does not “stand out” because it moves together with the other parties in the government.
“We abide by all instructions given by PKR,” he said.
The former minister added that the Umno machinery stood out as its grassroots were moving “solo”.
Mujahid also said that his party often went down to the ground to meet the voters and held feasts with the locals.
He assured that Amanah will remain an Islamic party which carries the “rahmatan lil alamin” concept, which promotes universal values, love, and compassion among mankind.
“You cannot expect our narrative to be similar to that of Umno’s or PAS’.
“The Malays we want to raise are those based on Islamic values and morals,” he said.
Concerted effort
Meanwhile, Amanah secretary-general Faiz Fadzil said the responsibility of alleviating Malay sentiments lies on all Harapan component parties.
“This is because we (Harapan) move as a coalition. The bad perception created by the opposition is against the Harapan government and not against Amanah alone,” he told Malaysiakini.
Faiz also dismissed claims that Amanah is unable to attract Malay voters toward the government.
“We are still able to attract Kelantan voters in the Kota Lama state constituency.
“I believe that we are still able to attract Malays with our centrist Islam approach,” he added.
Faiz also voiced optimism that extreme views among some Malays can be overcome by good governance from the Madani government. - Mkini
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