Has Malaysia entered a new ethno-nationalist era?
(They) all fish in the same vote pool. These parties may be under pressure to ‘out-Malay’ one another in the quest for nationalist votes, even if doing so may compromise their ability to lure non-Malay voters that could tip the scales to their advantage.
Meredith Weiss, SUNY Albany, East Asia Forum
Malaysia’s new ruling coalition, Perikatan Nasional (PN), is exceptional in its ethnic homogeneity. Cobbled together over late February and early March 2020, the coalition is dominated by Malay Muslim parties; it includes the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), and the majority of MPs from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu). Most remaining members are from ‘Bumiputera’ (Malay and other indigenous) communities in Sabah and Sarawak, through PN’s alliance with the East Malaysian-based Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Gabungan Bersatu Sabah (GBS).
Although Malaysia’s new Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin reassured minority communities in his initial address that he would be a prime minister for all Malaysians, his coalition has raised fears of a different balance. His government comprises representatives from UMNO’s Barisan Nasional (BN) partners, the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC). But the latter two parties together hold just three seats among the coalition’s slim majority in the 222-seat parliament.
The reality is that this newly forged and far from stable coalition confronts complex electoral imperatives. How will ethno-nationalist impulses play out in Muhyiddin’s ‘Malay unity plus’ government?
