YOURSAY | ‘How to get Malay votes without upsetting its core non-Malay supporters?’

COMMENT | A year after the Sheraton coup – why I remain an optimist

Not Bitten Twice: I am an optimist and I am confident we can repeat the 14th general election (GE14) win if:

1. Pakatan Harapan remains united. No wishy-washiness over the prime minister post. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has one term and needs to groom at least two successors.

2. Maximum two-terms for the PM, menteri besar and other positions of great power.

3. Keep out former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his brand of politics.

4. Have a manifesto that includes anti-hopping laws.

5. Set clear objectives and ways on how to improve the economy and reduce unemployment.

6. Be committed to protecting the environment, especially regarding our forests, etc. Protect the Orang Asli and their habitats as a responsible government.

7. I believe there is room for a green party like in Australia. Maybe Siti Kassim or Wong Tuck may want to take this up. There are so many environmental issues to take up. They can contest in these areas.

8. Go on a full registration drive to enrol young voters.

During GE14, I remarked to a really tired and disappointed friend: “We do not go and sit for an examination and expect to fail. We go as fully prepared as possible and with optimism. By the same token, we don't go to war expecting to lose either.”

Finally, human beings thrive on hope. And enthusiasm begets enthusiasm. We are not born to be pessimistic. The chronic pessimist needs to see a psychiatrist. Sometimes it is called depression.

Bewise: I am optimistic too. Each election brings in younger voters. I agree that we should not underestimate this younger generation who are the future of the country.

Take, for example, our neighbour down under. One would think that the PAP (People’s Action Party) is invincible, but what happened during their last GE?

Let's study their demographic. All the constituencies won by the opposition were young estates. These are made up of the young and internet-savvy population. Trust me, these youngsters have a mind of their own and they do not listen to their elders anymore.

Those still living in the Stone Age think they can live forever. Our children and the likes of Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, Jamaliah Jamaluddin, Syerleena Abdul Rashid, Sheik Omar Ali, Howard Lee, Nurul Izzah Anwar, Rafizi Ramli, etc, are going to outlive the oldies and change the fate of Malaysia.

AnotherKomentar: Former deputy defence minister Liew Chin Tong's optimism is misplaced.

Our demography is changing and the percentage of non-Malay votes in his so-called 35 mixed seats are actually declining. Electoral trends since Harapan's 2018 victory indicates the Malay votes have largely returned to Umno/PAS.

Harapan shouldn't count on receiving unprecedented 80%-plus support from non-Malay voters - many of whom are now disillusioned with Harapan's inability to govern as a united and cohesive coalition.

The weakened and fractured PKR since the infamous Sheraton Move meant that mainstream Malays could no longer place their hope on Anwar and PKR to champion "Malay rights and privileges".

In my honest opinion, 2018 was a fluke, a false spring.

Milshah: Liew, it is interesting you brought up the Avengers example. The problem is Harapan’s core supporters - the non-Malays do not want an Avengers team with Mahathir. This has been loud and clear.

For one thing, it is clear if Harapan is ever to be the government, it needs the Malay votes. But no one is addressing this elephant in the room

In the last GE, Harapan had Mahathir to pull the Malay crowd. Without Mahathir, can Anwar pull it off? Can he go to the Felda folks and convince them to vote for a Malaysian Malaysia and need-based policies?

There are two problems that Harapan needs to address which I see are Harapan’s greatest weakness.

1. How to get the Malay votes.

2. How to get Malay votes without upsetting its core supporters of non-Malays.

Difficult, isn't it? It is like in the ‘Gladiator’ movie, where you are only given a sword and a shield, while your opponents have chariots, lions, tigers, or in this modern era, your opponents have guns and grenades.

But your supporters still expect you to win. More likely, you will lose and probably lose your current seats as well. No more PKR and DAP having the most seats in Harapan after the next GE. Good luck by the way.

Coward: @Milshah, Mahathir is part of the Avenger team? Not so fast. Recent analyses of his time in Harapan has demonstrated that he is a wolf in sheep's clothing.

He is using Harapan to achieve his own private ambition at the expense of Harapan’s ideals. At heart, he still practices the race-based politics he honed and refined to its ugly end during his first sting as PM.

Even if I take your opinion on Mahathir at face value, right now it is too risky to depend on his cult-like personality for the next election. For one, when God sees fit to call him to his side, what will happen to the government?

Can Harapan become the government without Mahathir? Perhaps not. But to abandon their ideal to go into bed with him just to be in power is worse.

BrownCheetah9736: Dear Liew, here are my two cents worth of comments:

1. Harapan, and especially DAP, should not take the minority vote for granted. You will get one more free pass only because of how this current government came about.

This courtesy doesn’t extend forever. Harapan sucked when they were the government, so don’t think for one minute that Harapan will automatically get the self-entitled sympathy vote.

2. Many minorities are disillusioned and while they may not vote for the current government, they may not vote for Harapan either. They will simply abstain. Therefore, voter turnout and new voter registration will be critical, as with what happened in the US.

It’s best to focus on maintaining your current votes, getting back the ones lost from defections, by-elections, etc, and mop up the remaining MCA and MIC seats instead of casting your net too far.

3. Get your act together in Sarawak and Sabah. Whilst DAP may be strong in urban areas there, it is clear that PKR is the weak link and Amanah is non-existent.

Warisan may hold in Sabah, but they need to be convinced to make a final decision once and for all on the issue of premiership and Mahathir.

4. Make a decision on Mahathir, please. No advisor or minister mentor. Either he is in or he is out. Then let the voters decide.

5. Decide on radically new faces for Harapan leadership and PM position. It gives the voters a sense of excitement and rejuvenation to be voting for something new.

Not the same old same old recycled faces. Get people like Nurul Izzah, Fahmi Fadzil, Syahredzan Johan, Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji, etc, to the forefront. Even Lim Guan Eng may need to step aside.

6. It is clear that PKR and Amanah combined do not have even 20% of the Malay votes. So how can you expect to form a government if 80% of the 60% majority vote against you?

Do not be mistaken; in the last election, the Malays didn’t vote for Harapan, they voted Najib Razak out. Even then, Harapan was a beneficiary of the split votes between Umno and PAS.

And trust me, come this election, the ducks of Bersatu, Umno and PAS will all get in line in the name of power.

So that’s your final conundrum; as unpalatable and unsavoury as it is, Harapan has to work with some elements of those three major Malay parties. Preferably the untainted ones.

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