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Yoursay: Harapan’s dilemma – win Malay support or continue with reforms?

YOURSAY | 'It is impossible to have the cake and eat it at the same time.'

Survey shows 60pct of Malays unhappy with Harapan gov't

David Dass: I am not sure what the questions of this survey (by pollster Ilham Centre and think tank Penang Institute) were.

Sometimes the questions anticipate the answer. And sometimes the questions provoke a negative response. And oftentimes, Malaysians do not always answer survey questions truthfully.

But there are some conclusions that can be drawn. Most of all, Pakatan Harapan has not been able to demonstrate that this government will be better than past governments - that all Malaysians, including Malays, will be better off with the new administration.

The sight of a few additional non-Malay ministers and deputy ministers cannot be the reason for 60 percent Malays to reject Harapan.

Most Malays accept that Indians, Chinese, Sabahans and Sarawakians are also Malaysians. And most Malays must be aware of the billions of ringgit lost through the misdeeds and wrongdoings of the previous administration.

The state of the economy is partly due to the financial mismanagement of the past administration. It will take a while for the reforms to have effect.

In the meantime, the opposition - PAS and Umno - will continue to play up issues of race and religion. And there will be some who will be taken in by their nonsense.

Yes, the thieving will stop. Yes, the MACC will go after those who are corrupt. Yes, those who commit crimes will be prosecuted. Yes, the non-Malays will be more visible in the government service.

But everything points to a better more open more honest administration committed to the welfare of the people - especially the poor. Surely, the Malays are not opposed to poor non-Malays also being helped.

No government of Malaysia will neglect the Malays. The object of honest government, more efficient government and higher standards of schools and colleges is to produce more productive workers who will earn higher wages.

The thieving has affected many of the Malay institutions and funds. All can see that when institutions are well managed, the benefits are there for all to see.

Khazanah Nasional, the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) have been well-administered institutions. They will be managed better under the new administration. Felda, Mara and Tabung Haji have been badly administered. They will now be better administered.

PAS and Umno have little to offer. PAS has no interest in economic issues. And they have no interest in non-Muslims. And Umno has not acknowledged the terrible things that occurred under the previous administrations. Indeed, the results of the survey make no sense.

JusticeNow!: The nature of survey is such that the way the question is framed will determine, to a certain extent, the outcome you get.

To be honest, nothing much has changed for the Malays. Many were already enjoying the cream of Malaysia before GE14. Those who did not enjoy the cream have come to accept their "fate" and hoped for government's "bantuan" (aid) and "peruntukan" (allocations).

They will only experience the impact of the new government when their buying power increases or their cost of living decreases or their needs are met by a more efficient and professional civil service and delivery system. These are not something that will change overnight or even after a few years, let alone in nine months!

How do you judge or measure a government which is only nine months old and compare it with the previous government that has had 60 years of governing the country, without a break?

I call into question the purpose of the survey and its conclusions. Especially the need to assess the views of Malays on DAP - it is definitely calculated to incite and propagate a specific agenda.

I question the surveyors' intention in posing those questions. Are they relevant to the development and well-being of Malaysia and Malaysians? The professional-sounding questions are just a front to encourage division and racialism, and majoring in the negatives.

Why don't these so-called surveyors pose questions to highlight the people’s daily needs, children’s schooling, access to services, healthcare, etc, and help the government improve on these instead of harping on imagery issues that actually do not impact on livelihood?

Let's work towards a better Malaysia for everyone.

Quoqonbond: Yes, surveys like this don't really add anything to what we already know, which is Harapan continues to have around one-third Malay support.

Surveys like this are dangerous because those who breathe and think with only Malay/Muslim paradigm will take this as a cue to become even more conservative or extremist to show they are champions of race and religion.

The last thing Harapan, and especially Bersatu, should do is to pander to the kind of rhetoric that support the existential threat to race and religion because that's just playing in Umno/PAS’ playground where, in combination, they have an advantage.

Doing that also betrays the trust placed by non-Malays and also that one-third Malays who clearly believe in a more inclusive Malaysia.

Clearly, Harapan has the work cut out for them. If it is too difficult for Malays to understand needs-based policy, then be clever about how you explain it.

They should also constantly hammer home the message that chest-thumping race and religion has got Malaysia into so far - nearly becoming a failed state.

The public needs a re-education, and racial/religious incitement needs to be quickly put down.

Just Sharing: Harapan is a disappointment for many who voted for it.

The PM openly admitted that Harapan made many promises thinking that they would not win the election. It only implies that the Harapan leaders are insincere when it comes to election promises. Can they ever be trusted in the future elections?

The only consolation is that the people have saved Malaysia from BN. Not only the Malays are not happy with Harapan, generally every community is not happy with Harapan.

TA: It is kind of odd that some quarters want miracles to happen. Do you rather have a severely corrupt government or an average government that can be criticised openly? I prefer the latter.

The problems we have in this country will take a long time to solve. We must change our mindset, and not talk about race and religion for the good of this beloved nation.

Tehtarik: It’s easy to win over the 60 percent Malay voters. Adopt the same agenda as Umno and PAS. In the process, lose most of the non-Malay voters who voted for Harapan.

It is impossible to have the cake and eat it at the same time.

Drngsc: It’s best to ignore the results and continue with the reform agenda. The Malays will see the genuine benefits and then come on board.

If Harapan does not continue and be brave enough to institute the reform agenda, it risks losing the solid non-Malay support while not having Malay support.


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