Identity still the bedrock of Malay politics, says analyst

For rural Malays, race and religion are important factors to consider when they cast their votes in an election. (Bernama pic)PETALING JAYA: Identity politics remains a crucial factor in shaping Malay political sentiment, underscoring the astuteness of Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) leaders in their decision to work together, an analyst says.Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said the pact between the two coalitions was a strategic move to consolidate Malay votes to their advantage in the run-up to the Negeri Sembilan election this weekend.He said rural Malays, about 70% of whom are concentrated in the eastern part of Negeri Sembilan, are largely influenced by sentiments and identity politics.“By joining forces, BN and PN have become an ‘umbrella’ for Malays,” Mazlan told FMT.Mazlan Ali.“By extension, the Malay-Muslim unity narrative automatically becomes the core message of their campaign,” he added.On the other hand, Malay voters who are more concerned about socio-economic issues are the highly educated urbanites, who are largely professionals.However, this group of Malays, who are said to have a more “progressive” outlook, make up only about 30% of voters from the community, Mazlan added.He said these Malays are more inclined to vote for Pakatan Harapan (PH) as they are attracted to narratives revolving around governance, improving quality of life, creating job opportunities and reducing the cost of living.“That is why the cooperation between BN and PN to consolidate Malay votes will give these two coalitions an edge,” he said, referring to the percentage of voters in rural areas.Mazlan was commenting on a remark by PH secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail that the coalition did not need to prove it was “more Malay” than Umno or Bersatu, or “more Islamic” than PAS, to win public support.Similarly, former Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming had previously said the BN-PN electoral pact gave the two coalitions an advantage by preventing a split in Malay votes.In previous elections, the division among the Malays had benefited PH in several seats.“It is very likely that Malay support for both BN and PN will exceed 70%,” Ong said.Separately, Azmi Hassan, a fellow at the National Council of Professors, said it was difficult to erase identity politics from the country’s political landscape as the main parties in the country remain closely ti…