Want to appeal to all Malaysians? Pundits say new ruling coalition must look to pluralist agenda

KOTA KINABALU, March 3 — Components of the new ruling coalition must find a way to work together and find a way to shed their perceived Malay Muslim-centric image and appeal to the diverse Malaysian society if they wish to keep surviving, analysts have suggested.

Several analysts polled by Malay Mail said that the pact dubbed Perikatan Nasional must regain its footing and image with voters, after taking over from the democratically-elected Pakatan Harapan (PH) government outside the general election.

“Like it or not must work together quickly. They are being blamed for toppling the PH government through backdoor, therefore they must win back the hearts and minds of multiracial Malaysians,” political analyst Azizuddin Mohd Sani said.

He said it was imperative that the coalition domianted by Malay nationalist parties Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and Umno, and Islamist party PAS cast aside any “Malay-first” mentality and promote an inclusive agenda.

“We are a multiracial country. We cannot govern this country by only focusing on one race or ethnic group. It must be multiracial.  

“They need to show the image which is more inclusive to multiracial agenda,” he said.

Similarly, Universiti Teknologi Mara Sabah’s Tony Paridi Bagang agreed that the national coalition needs to put aside any ethnic inclinations for the sake of the nation and come up with a plan for national integration.

“Ethnic relations in this country must be given priority as there are negative perceptions and fear over it,” he remarked.

“They could work but they may need to fine tune especially with PAS. Bersatu may not have problem working with Umno as they are largely made up by former Umno members anyway.  

“The Barisan Nasional formula of power sharing maybe put in place but with PAS now in the coalition, they need to reach the 'win-win' situation especially in compromising on political ideology,” he said.

This comes as Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin promised last night to be a prime minister for all Malaysians, as the country remains divided across ethno-religious and class lines.

Following the swearing in of Muhyiddin, some social media users claimed to have seen and faced an increase of racial posts against critics of the Pagoh MP and his coalition government with Malay nationalist party Umno and Islamist party PAS.

When asked how the new pact can achieve an inclusive agenda given its minimal number of non-Malay representation, Azizuddin said it can embark on an inclusive grand policy, suggesting a grand council of advisers represented by various ethnic groups with wide range of expertise.

Despite the make-up, Azizuddin said that the parties have the potential to be sustainable given their common values.

“I don’t think there have different ideologies. All are very pragmatic and nationalistic. So they can work together for the sake of power,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bagang said that the coalition may be able to help its reputation by giving significant Cabinet posts to its non-Malay and non-Muslim counterparts.

“They need to bring MCA, MIC leaders in the Cabinet and if possible to give them significant posts. Besides that, Sabah and Sarawak leaders must be given strategic positions too; such as a deputy prime minister’s post,” he said.

He said that the red flags for the new coalition would be a U-turn of support if they cannot appear to be more inclusive, a possible idealogy internal conflict between the more Islamist PAS and other parties and the perceptions and fear among East Malaysians on the identity politics anchored by religion.