PH fell because it failed to put Malays first, says Wan Saiful
“There were attempts to gag discussions on the Bumiputera, Malay and Muslim agenda and this gave the impression they wanted equality for all.
(FMT) – Pakatan Harapan’s refusal to discuss matters of race and religion after it took over Putrajaya in 2018 led to its downfall 22 months later, Bersatu information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan said.
He said the decision to close the door on such matters sparked anxiety among the Malays, and this was compounded by the coalition’s failure to strengthen the Bumiputera, Malay and Muslim agenda.
Wan Saiful said PH was more concerned about prioritising other matters.
“There were attempts to gag discussions on the Bumiputera, Malay and Muslim agenda and this gave the impression they wanted equality for all.
“So Malay-Muslims, who are the majority, were insecure. They felt that their political powers were being eroded despite the fact that Federal Constitution guaranteed such matters.
“This led to an unstable government,” he said in an exclusive interview with FMT.
The collapse of the PH government was sparked by Bersatu’s pullout from the coalition and Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s resignation as prime minister.
Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin was subsequently named as the nation’s eighth prime minister and formed the current government, along with Umno and PAS.
Wan Saiful said the nation’s stability was tied to Malay political power and it was something that must be safeguarded.
“We need to ensure stability, and among the prerequisites for this is unity among Malay political parties.
“Whether we like it or not, we need to accept this,” he said.
He said the Malay-Muslim agenda was not prioritised by the PH administration as it comprised leaders who were elitist and were disconnected from reality. He did not identify these individuals.
Wan Saiful, however, said there was a need for government leaders to recognise that there was a clear gap between the Malay-Muslims and the non-Malays which needed to be closed.
Apart from failing to understand the Malay sentiment, he said, PH’s other misstep was prioritising institutional reforms to the point of forgetting about its other election pledges, including reducing the financial burden of the people.
He said the Perikatan Nasional government was learning from PH’s failure.
“We will focus on the rakyat while, at the same time, undertake institution reform,” he said, adding they would also safeguard Malay-Muslim unity to ensure a shared prosperity for the various races.
