Why Malaysia’s identity politics isn’t like the global right-wing rise

 Analysts say identity politics has always been at the forefront in Malaysia and is here to stay, whereas the rise in right-wing politics abroad is a more recent development.

In Malaysia, identity politics is already woven into the national fabric, unlike in the West where right-wing politics is a more recent phenomenon. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

Identity politics has always been a feature of Malaysia’s political landscape, unlike other countries where the rise of right-wing politics is a more recent phenomenon, according to political analysts.

Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid and Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs said developed nations like the United States and United Kingdom only began to see the rise of right-wing politics in recent decades.

Oh pointed out that both countries had attempted to “deracialise” their society in the modern era, with the goal of promoting a sense of national identity among citizens across all ethnic groups.

He said this occurred in the UK after the end of the Second World War and in the US after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discriminatory laws and practices in the segregated South.

Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid.

For Malaysia, identity politics has always been among the key elements at play in every election, Fauzi said.

The two analysts said this is partly due to how the topic of race is addressed in the Federal Constitution, specifically how Article 153 virtually makes it a “built-in” component in the local political environment.

Article 153 of the constitution covers the special position of the Malays and natives of Sabah and Sarawak.

“So it’s not as if we have never had this sort of racial identity, it’s always been there. To me, it’s just a re-eruption of racial sentiments. It’s a resurgence, and not something new as in the US or UK,” Oh told FMT.

Oh Ei Sun.

“From time to time, it rears its head, and at this time it’s rearing its head again. At some point it may submerge, and at some future point, it will rise again. Because, structurally, this country is divided along racial lines,” he added.

Not a liberal democratic order

Fauzi described identity politics as a baseline built through Article 153 and, read together with Article 160, defines a Malay person as one who professes Islam, among others.

He said this communal identity dominates political narratives once part of the electorate feels that its constitutional position is under threat, not just when faced with poverty.

This is unlike the rise of the right in the West, where pundits have often linked poverty to the rise in far-right sentiment and support.

That is why solutions purely based on loans, handouts or better salaries do not work in Malaysia, Fauzi told FMT. “In reality, governance records have never been sufficient on its own as an election rallying cry.”

He said the Negeri Sembilan polls proved this, as the Barisan Nasional-Perikatan Nasional alliance swept all Malay-majority seats despite the previous state government’s satisfactory performance and former menteri besar Aminuddin Harun being held in high regard.

Pakatan Harapan (PH) had blamed its defeat on the exploitation of identity politics by its rivals.

“We can’t blame exogenous factors entirely for the upsurge of right-wing politics; nationalism is part and parcel of Malaysia’s statecraft from the outset,” Fauzi said.

“As (former Bangi MP) Ong Kian Ming recently noted, even PH parties benefited from identity politics. Malaysia’s political system wasn’t designed as a liberal democratic order that some political idealists pretend it to be.”

Islamism as a political ideology

While cracks have already started to show in the BN-PN pact, Fauzi said if the alliance remains intact, it could potentially sweep enough seats in West Malaysia to form the government in the next general election.

He said demographic changes — including the faster growth of the Malay population compared with the non-Malays — will boost BN-PN’s odds, too.

In this context, Fauzi said, the question of Malaysia’s future lies in the type of Islamic political ideology that is espoused by the “Malay-dominated powers that be”.

“Islamic politics is not monolithic. Our hope for a multi-racial Malaysia lies in the embrace of pluralist Islamism within the context of a democratic Malaysia, rather than the extremist or overly conservative forms of Islamism that dominate the world’s headlines.

“Islamism as a political ideology here needs to be differentiated from Islam as the faith and Malaysia’s religion of the federation. Islam is a constitutional fait accompli (accomplished fact), whereas Islamism is a question of choice.

“Whether it’s good or bad will depend on which Islamic model is embraced by the Malay-dominated powers that be,” Fauzi added. - FMT