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Friday, August 21, 2015

Can new Islamist party beat back ‘DAP proxy’ label?


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Former PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, who leads a group of PAS progressives who lost their posts in the recent party polls. They are now gearing up for a new Islamist party, expected to be called 'Amanah', to be launched this month. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, August 21, 2015.Former PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, who leads a group of PAS progressives who lost their posts in the recent party polls. They are now gearing up for a new Islamist party, expected to be called 'Amanah', to be launched this month. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, August 21, 2015.As the New Hope Movement (GHB) rises to challenge Umno and PAS for the Malay vote, it has become the target of a smear campaign to check its influence, especially among middle ground voters who are key in the next general election.

The race card is being played up against the Islamist movement and its leaders, and supporters are being labelled as DAP proxies – people whose real aim is to bring the DAP into federal power.

This is to tap into strong artificial fears especially among rural and working class Malays, that the community will lose out in terms of jobs, education and political weight if the DAP, whose top leaders are overwhelmingly non-Malay, comes to power.

GHB leaders are confident the movement has Malay support judging from the turnouts at its roadshows. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, August 21, 2015.GHB leaders are confident the movement has Malay support judging from the turnouts at its roadshows. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, August 21, 2015.So even before the GHB launches its political party, there is the question of whether its leaders can actually make a splash in the Malay heartlands which it plans to capture from Umno and its former comrades in PAS.

PAS election director Datuk Mustafa Ali said that GHB stands very little chance of threatening PAS support among Malays, even if it is led by ex-PAS leaders who are the party's most recognisable figures and MPs.

"Before, when PAS worked with DAP, Umno labelled PAS as being the proxy of DAP, and that we would find it hard to get support. Now this new party will wear that label," the former PAS secretary-general told The Malaysian Insider last month.

Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia has also played up the spectre of DAP being the number one beneficiary of its tie-up with GHB.

Both parties, along with PKR, are expected to join forces to create a new opposition coalition to replace the now-defunct Pakatan Rakyat.

Former Johor DAP leader Norman Fernandez believes that the perception may stick.

"DAP desperately needs a Malay-Muslim party to help sway the Malay votes. In the past, the relationship with PAS benefited DAP tremendously.

"If not for PAS, DAP leaders could not have set foot and spoken in conservative, Malay villages and heartland," said Fernandez, who had quit the DAP over its relationship with PAS.

Old label 

Leaders of Amanah, the soon-to-be-launched new party, are confident the proxy label will not cost it Malay support, saying this could be seen from the turnout at its roadshows.

GHB deputy coordinator Salahuddin Ayub (2nd from right) doesn't believe the idea that many Malays would fall for the 'DAP bogeyman' trick against the new party. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, August 21, 2015.GHB deputy coordinator Salahuddin Ayub (2nd from right) doesn't believe the idea that many Malays would fall for the 'DAP bogeyman' trick against the new party. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, August 21, 2015."At all the places we've visited, the majority of people who come out to see us are Malays, from all quarters. Young and old," said Salahuddin Ayub, who is GHB deputy coordinator.

"If most of them are non-Malays then we would worry, but that has not been the case," said the former PAS vice-president of GHB's roadshows in the Malay heartlands of Johor, Perlis and Kelantan.

He also disputed the idea that many Malays would fall for the DAP bogeyman trick. This is because PAS itself got a lot of support from Malays on the west coast of the peninsula when it was labelled a DAP proxy during the PR days.

"When we were in PR, we managed to extend our support outside of our traditional bases (of peninsular northeast)."

Another GHB leader, Khalid Samad, said voters in the next election, whether Malay or non-Malay, want a coalition that can actually challenge Barisan Nasional (BN) and form a new government.

This sentiment, he believes, will make them look past any racial rhetoric used against GHB.

More than any PAS leader, Khalid (pic, left) was a target of ugly racial epithets during the 13th general election as his rivals tried to unseat him from the Malay-majority parliamentary seat of Shah Alam.

"The Malaysian public is experienced enough to see through this strategy. It's been tried before but it was not as effective," said Khalid, who increased his winning majority in the 13th general election despite the racist campaign run against him.

Bigger problem

The race card still works among Malays, said Ibrahim Suffian (pic, right) who heads pollster Merdeka Center, but only to keep Malays who traditionally vote Umno from shifting support.

Umno voters make up 45% to 50% of the Malay population of any seat, he said.

"The race card is still significant because the Umno vote bank is large. That's why it will be difficult for any new party to carve a space in the elections."

For Ibrahim, this will be the new party's bigger problem.

If Umno manages to secure its vote bank by playing up racial rhetoric, the rest of the non-Umno Malay vote will be split if GHB's new party has to contend with PAS.

This is a real possibility, because the new party is expected to contest in the same seats as PAS and Umno.

Khalid realises this, but believes if it is a choice between PAS and GHB at the 14th general election, a non-Umno voter will choose the party that is part of a coalition which can form a government.

And right now, a future non-BN coalition is unlikely to include PAS. – August 21, 2015.




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