MM Lee on Malaysian politics

“I do not believe they are going to stay put. If they do not react and change, and like how Prime Minister Najib has said, they’re in for problems.”

Today Online

Last year’s general election in March was a “tectonic shift” for Malaysian politics, observed Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, with the urban Malays voting for the opposition along with the Chinese and Indians.

How much more ground the opposition gains will depend on the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, and how it reacts to this changing trend of Malay voters.

“I do not believe they are going to stay put. If they do not react and change, and like how Prime Minister Najib has said, they’re in for problems,” said Mr Lee.

The Minister Mentor had met with Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) president Hadi Awang earlier.

“He told me, the town young Malays especially voted solidly against the government.

“So I said, what is the reason? He said, in the countryside, rural Malays, they’re not educated, therefore they still depend on patronage of Umno.

“But in the towns they’re better educated, many engineers, professionals have joined and become members of PAS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat.

“Year by year, there will be more people moving from the countryside to the towns, therefore more and more people will be educated and will be sceptical and critical. So, they are quite sure time is on their side.”