Don’t leave Malay-Muslim concerns open to exploitation, says Kamil

 The PKR Youth chief says the party must address genuine anxieties over Malay rights and Islam with confidence, rather than allow rivals to exploit them.

PKR Youth chief Kamil Munim (centre) with delegates at the PKR Youth congress.

AYER KEROH:

PKR must address concerns among Malay-Muslims over their position in the country instead of leaving the space for its political opponents to exploit them, says the party’s Youth chief Kamil Munim.

Reflecting on the party’s performance in recent state elections, Kamil said PKR needed to acknowledge that performance-based politics alone might not be enough to overcome identity politics and fear.

“Some of our political opponents have succeeded in building simple, emotionally resonant narratives that Malays are under threat, Islam is under threat, Malay power is being lost, and the future of the community is at stake.

“Such narratives may not necessarily be based on a complete picture of the country’s actual circumstances, but they succeed because they address something deeply human – the fear of losing what one considers important,” he said in his policy speech at the PKR Youth congress.

PH won 11 of the 36 seats in Negeri Sembilan, down from 17 in the previous election. Weeks earlier, the coalition won only eight of the 56 seats in the Johor state election.

In a press conference on the Negeri Sembilan polls tonight, Pakatan Harapan election director Amirudin Shari blamed the PH defeat on the exploitation of identity politics by its rivals.

Amirudin, who is also a PKR vice-president, said there had been “a lot of racial rhetoric” during the Negeri Sembilan election campaign, which had created unease among Malays and non-Malays.

Kamil, however, said such concerns existed in the Malay-Muslim community and should not be dismissed, warning that leaving them unaddressed would allow others to fill the vacuum with fear.

“If we do not provide reassurance, there will be those who exploit people’s anxieties,” he said.

He said PKR Youth should instead reassure the Malays and boost their confidence that they would not lose their position simply because the country was fair to all, while Islam would not become weaker because society respected diversity.

“PKR Youth must have the courage to speak about Malays and Islam in a confident, mature and principled manner,” he said.

Kamil also said the party should promote a confident Malay identity that was proud of its history, open to knowledge and capable of competing globally.

“Strong people are not preoccupied with finding someone to fear. They are busy building what they want to leave behind,” he said. - FMT