There seems to be no unity among Umno, PAS and PPBM although they are all members of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government. This should prove that a coalition catering to a single race does not work.
In a single-race arrangement, there are bound to be intra-racial problems since it is in human nature to compete for domination in the hunt for power.
In truth, there is no such thing as Malay unity or Islamic solidarity in Malaysian politics. Only common goals and a shared ideology can bring about true togetherness.
Malaysia is blessed with a multiracial society and the formula worked out by Tunku Abdul Rahman in forming the Alliance and by Abdul Razak Hussein in forming Barisan Nasional (BN) worked well for six decades.
Umno should realise that it was once perceived as a moderate political party.
Even today, not everything about Umno is bad. But its reputation has taken some beating through the fault of some of its leaders. They lost their footing because they assumed the party would rule forever. Corruption crept in and ruined the party’s image. Consequently, BN fell in the 2018 general election.
If Umno cleans itself up, shuns corruption and chooses the moderate path in politics, it will once again be propped up by all races to lead the country in a new multiracial setup.
It is abhorrent in a multiracial society to incite racial and religious strife, as some Malay leaders are wont to do. They may gain short-term support by stirring up emotions. In the long run, however, people will see through the rhetoric and realise that it is meant only to dupe voters.
In Perak, we have just seen the menteri besar losing his post after a “confidence vote” that ended up becoming a no-confidence vote.
In this episode, the Pakatan Harapan (PH) parties – DAP, PKR and Amanah – joined hands with Umno in expressing disapproval of the state leadership.
Perak was ruled by PPBM, PAS and Umno under the PN banner.
If the PH parties could team up with Umno to form the next state government, we might see the return of moderation and multiracial politics. It might pave the way for a unity government that will bring stability to the state. This would augur well for the whole country.
DAP, though Chinese-dominated, is a multiracial party with sizeable voter support. In the past, it contested for only about a fifth of the seats in Parliament, usually against MCA, MIC and Gerakan, not Umno or PAS.
Umno has usually contested against PAS in almost all Malay-majority constituencies. Since it has virtually never vied for non-Malay majority seats, DAP is not a threat to it.
With Umno teaming up with DAP, each can show that it has chosen a moderate political path. We can then hope for the end of rhetoric on race and religion.
DAP has long professed to seek integrity, accountability and excellence in governance. It has not clamoured for absolute power. It wants to see a government that has deference to the wishes of all ethnic groups and a stable and harmonious society that will earn the respect of the world and attract investors.
It is cognisant that it is the Malays who must lead the country and has shown this by giving way in Perak, Selangor and Putrajaya.
In fact, Malaysians in general also believe Malays should lead the country, but this does not mean they will tolerate incompetent and dishonest leaders.
By virtue of their being the majority race, Malays have been leading the country since independence and this has never been a problem for the non-Malays.
DAP has in its ranks many educated and competent leaders and the party has business-oriented goals in politics. This will indeed be an asset to the nation. Its success in Penang could be duplicated in other states.
DAP has always made it clear that it upholds the Federal Constitution with all its provisions regarding the position of the Malays, of Islam, of the national language of the Malay rulers.
Umno has now learned the hard way that there is always a relentless fight for power and position among the Malays. It is only when there is a multiracial government that Umno or a Malay can take the lead, with allied parties participating in nation building.
Perhaps it is time for Umno to revive the kind of government that it led for more than six decades by roping in other parties, including the PH parties, in forming a stable government.
Moaz Nair is an FMT reader.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.