Survey: PAS now seen as Malay, Muslim defender - more than Umno
More Malays now see PAS as being a bigger defender of Malays and Muslims than Umno, according to a survey conducted by research firm Ilham Centre.
“Nearly 30 percent of Malay-Muslims picked PAS as the main protector of Malay and Islam issues compared with only 27 percent for Umno,” Ilham Centre executive director Mohd Yusri Ibrahim told a forum last night, as reported by The Malaysian Insight.
The survey, which polled 2,614 Malay-Muslims from October to December last year, showed PKR in third place at 17 percent, followed by Bersatu (four percent) and Amanah (three percent).
In a similar survey conducted in August last year, Yusri said 34 percent of Malay-Muslims picked Umno as the defender of Malays and Muslims, compared to 29 percent who picked PAS.
“This was before Umno lawmakers started leaving the party,” Yusri said.
Umno MPs have been leaving the party in droves since the 14th general election, and the party currently has 37 lawmakers - a drop from 54 Umno MPs elected in GE14.
The preliminary report of the survey, conducted in collaboration with the Penang Institute, also showed that Malays are generally conservative.
“Some are bent towards Malay nationalism while others are more on Islamic nationalism,” Yusri said.
However, he added, the Malays are still receptive to democratic ideas.
The survey revealed that 86.7 percent of those polled agreed Malays are the rightful owners of the country.
At the same time, 83.5 percent also said Malaysia belonged to all the citizens.
Also, 72.3 percent agreed that the Chinese and Indians should not ask for equal rights as long as they maintained education in their mother tongue while 79.5 percent also agreed that all Malaysians should be treated fairly.
The survey also showed that Malay-Muslims were not too accepting of Pakatan Harapan’s Islamic narrative.
“The current government has to portray a more centre-right image and not a progressive one as it can be mistaken for being liberal. Pakatan cannot go the conservative right either as it is already occupied by PAS and Umno.
“Although Malay nationalism is higher now, we expect Muslim nationalism to rise in the future,” Yusri said.
Fellow panellist Faisal Hazis (photo, above) said it would take time for the country to change.
“You can’t hope to move to the New Malaysia after 61 years of Old Malaysia,” Faisal said.
The other panellists in the forum were Penang Institute’s Wong Chin Huat and Liyana Khairuddin.
The session was moderated by Mohd Izzuddin Ramli and the full report of the survey is expected to be released next month.
The questions administered produced results that are conflicting and confusing. In some ways the question assumes the answer expected or invites or provokes the answer wanted. But whatever the objectivity of the survey the general conclusions indicate a Malaysia that is deeply in trouble. Because of political rhetoric and BTN type conditioning there has been introduced into the minds of many Malays a sense of entitlement. That Malays were entitled to a scheme of preferences and privileges denied the non Malay. This privileged position was not based on need but on the fact that ;Malays were the rightful owners of the country'. Malay nationalism requires Malays whether in politics or as leaders of the country or as senior civil servants or chief executives of corporations to look after the Malays before all others. The result is the virtual exclusion of the non Malay from services and corporations controlled by Malays. The Chinese with their position in the private sector were able to provide places for Chinese employees. The Indians scrabbled for whatever they could get at the fringes. PAS defends the right of the Malay to discriminate against and exclude the non Malay. PAS would deny the non Malay a place in cabinet. In the PAS Book the Non Malay and the Non Muslim can never be equal to the Malay Muslim. And Islam will be the dominant religion. For PAS the end game is the Islamic State and Hudud Law. Those who do not like it can leave. Many non Muslims have left. Do all Malays feel this way ? Do all Malays think this way ? The answer is no - they do not. But will PH be able to convince the majority of Malays that their interests will be better served in an approach that respects the Constitution, that accepts the equality of all Malaysians, freedom of worship and the multiracial and multi-religious character of our society. But there is a prior question - are the Malay leaders in PH committed to the latter approach ?
The Malays are doomed. PAS has no imagination.
The question is whether one wants move forward or backward, and PH looks the best bet among the contenders.