The coming state elections are not about ‘Malay-Islamization’

They are about re-establishing kleptocratic-cronyism

Much has been said about the ‘greenwave’. The ‘greenwave’ has been described as the rise of the ‘Malay-centric” forces in the Malay heartlands, exploited by the Perikatan Nasional (PN), which wants to return to power.

The PN doesn’t necessarily want to return to power to turn Malaysia into an Islamic state. The PN wants to return top power to continue practising their kleptocratic ways, and plunge back into public funds for their own, and their cronies’ benefit.

PAS communities within the Malay heartlands are different from the political arm of PAS. They are not one and the same thing. Those who live in PAS communities are very different from those who represent them.

There are many politicians who want to be ‘above the law’, so they can’t be investigated and charged with corruption, abuse of power, and CBT. They want to be immune for these laws. The arrest, trial, and imprisonment of former prime minister Najib Razak, was an anomaly when Pakatan Harapan was in power, led by Mahathir Mohamed and his vengeance against Najib.

The PN leadership has pledged never to let this happen again, and must oust Anwar Ibrahim for safety against potential prosecution.

PN’s formula is simple. Look after royalty so they don’t interfere, maintain a feudalistic society so they are not questioned and put under scrutiny, keep Malay support, and make public policy under the pretext of the New Economic Plan (NEP) for the benefit of themselves and cronies.

This requires the Malays to be kept in the dark of this reality.

Not many elected politicians are actually concerned about the wellbeing of their constituents. They use their positions to benefit themselves personally. Those of pure heart who enter politics will soon be corrupted beyond recognition. Good people are kept down.

It was very unfortunate the voting patterns of the last general election didn’t provide a definitive decision upon who would run the nation. The result required Pakatan Harapan to work with parties who don’t have reformasi on their minds. A strong vote for PN in the coming state elections will bring more instability in government, with certain politicians continuing to undermine the federal government, supporting its downfall.

This is what the anti-Anwar forces want. At the first opportunity they will make their move. There are many triggers. The progress of court cases against key politicians over the coming months will heavily influence what happens.

Their plan is already working, where the current cabinet is disjointed and only semi-functional.

Anwar’s corruption anti-campaign is counter-productive to his cause. Its only motivated the forces against him to jump ship when the appropriate time arrives. They want to return to the good old days where ministries, agencies, and some GLCs were beyond any scrutiny and transparency. They want the freedom to operate without the risk of being accountable for their actions.

They will use the same old Malay-centric Ketuanan Melayu rhetoric and Islam as a deep cover for their real intentions.

The great problem with the ‘unity government’ is that it is just a recombination of the same old people and political parties that have held power since federation, rather than any sweeping out of the old and replacement with the new, that could have led to any reformasi government. Amanah’s Mat Sabu just said that PAS could work with the DAP, just as they did before. Many within the existing government, and within the opposition are manipulating the environment, in order to continue receiving, what they believe is their entitlement. After sixty years of government, there are still high levels of poverty across the country. There is still an economy over reliant on government activity, through GLCs. You can see how the Orang Asli for example, are still a marginalized group, even though they should be considered the original inhabitants of the peninsula. Nothing has changed. The Rakyat are prisoners of governments that have been looking after their own.

So, the battle going on is not about Ketuanan Melayu, or Islam, verses reformasi. The battle is about the self-entitled political elites, and the have nots in Malaysian society. Racism and religious bigotry have for far too long covered up the great class divide.   

Originally published in My Sin Chew 10th May 2023

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