Ibrahim Ali is a “communication genius” but Malay right-wing group Perkasa does not deserve the media space it is getting, says a researcher on right-wing Malay movements and NGOs in the country.

"This is because the space given to Perkasa in the media is tremendous and one that is not deserved,” says French researcher on Malaysian politics Sophie Lemière.

She pointed out how everything they said get much media play more than what other organisations are able to.

"Perkasa has an extremely good communications strategy.

" The strategy used by this organisation is to make a ‘media coup’, where something controversial is said and the media covers it daily," she told a forum titled Misplaced Democracy: State, Illegality and Political Violence last night.

Lemière also launched the book she edited titled 'Misplaced Democracy: Malaysian Politics and People'  at the same event.

Give less space to extremists

The European University Institute fellow said it all just meant that groups such as Perkasa consist of people who are good at what they do, and that is occupying media space.

“So give less space to Perkasa. This is why the role of the media is very important,” said Lemiere, who holds a PhD in Comparative Politics.

However, she admitted that the media is receptive to Perkasa because the group “sells”.

“For example, France’s fascist political party, National Front, makes a lot of newspapers ‘sell’.

“As for Ibrahim, it is not because he is that funny or that the things he says are right or wrong, it is just because he makes up a lot of conversations.

“And it is just the way the media works today, which is to be quick and find a glamorous or sexy angle, although I am not saying that Ibrahim is glamorous or sexy,” she said to resounding laughter.

Lemiere also stressed that despite her six years of research on Pekida, another right wing Malay rights NGO, she did not believe that there was a massive fascist movement in Malaysia.

Sex sells, so does Perkasa

Echoing Lemière, fellow panellist and Universiti Malaya law professor Azmi Sharom said “sex sells”, explaining that there was a certain titillation about such groups.

Azmi ( right ) went on to add that the media are enthusiastic ( ghairah ) to these kinds of groups and they did not contextualise them.

“We cannot pretend that these guys don’t exist. But there is zero contextualisation and too much sensationalism, so we don’t really know how powerful these groups really are.

“Ibrahim claims there are five million members in Perkasa. But where is the study or the investigative journalism to show that it's not true?” queried Azmi.

No massive fascists here

Earlier, on a different matter, Lemiere reiterated that gangs created by certain NGOs were linked to the ruling party to preserve an authoritarian state.

The NGO Pekida, in particular, is a complex network of discreet NGOs created by gangs for which political militancy is a business.

Nanyang Technological University international studies lecturer Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman ( right ) on the other hand admitted that there were many political parties that work with gangs in numerous Third World countries.

The violence in Pakistan, for example, is used to make its people submit to the rulers.

“Abuse of powers was indoctrinated into the people’s minds as a form of ‘protection’,” Mohamed Nawab said, adding that Malaysia was moving towards the Pakistan way.

Nevertheless, the key difference between both countries is in terms of the strong mainstream voice, where in Pakistan, there is no middle voice and only the radical perspective is heard, he said.

“But in Malaysia, we still hear lots of moderate voices and they continue to be heard and are not drowned by the extreme types,” he said.