Tag: Malaysians

Mr Mohd Rosdy, who said he switched support from UMNO to the new Pakatan Harapan government because UMNO was seen as preserving its self-interests over the needs of Malays, added: “We hold the key to which government takes charge. They also claimed that Pakatan was controlled by DAP and a vote for Pakatan would therefore undermine the special place of Malays in the country. “I notice Dr Mahathir is actually only being used by DAP to divide the Malay votes, as if DAP is good to the Malays,” he said. There was little to no canvassing of non-Malay votes by him and the BN leadership, except by component parties Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC). The observers noted that Dr Mahathir’s leadership of the Pakatan pact also made it easier for Malay voters to switch over from BN. “People are still harping about education, these rights and those rights. The only thing left for us is that the Malays continue to govern this country. But DAP will clearly not be the dominant party in Pakatan alongside three other largely Malay parties - Dr Mahathir's Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, Mr Anwar Ibrahim's Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and the Parti Amanah Negara led by new defence minister Mohamad Sabu. “It’s very comprehensive and we all signed this thing ... the DAP signed this.” Taking a swipe at BN, he added: “I would like to emphasise the Malaysian Chinese Association and the Malaysian Indian Congress did not sign.” Ms Tricia Yeoh, an expert in Malaysian politics from the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, said that any move away from racial politics will be a slow one, owing to the Malay community’s insecurities which have been exacerbated by economic loss brought on by the rising cost of living. Then Malaysia might move beyond racial politics.”