The Malaysian Insight

IN Sarawak, Amanah, the Islamist party in government, has a priest heading a branch, while a former Christian Federation of Malaysia member sits on its advisory board.  

In Pahang, a majority of members at 10 of its branches are Hindus, said party secretary-general Mohd Anuar Tahir. At its 163 “kawasan”, or divisions, nationwide, non-Muslims are common as deputies and vice-chairmen.

Before the 14^th general election, Amanah used to receive between 400 and 500 applications per month. The party is open to Muslims and non-Muslims. These days, it receives about 15,000 applications a month, said Anuar.

Such has been the quiet and steady growth of Amanah that has escaped news headlines over the past year while its leaders are busy running federal and state governments. 

One year after Pakatan Harapan’s historic electoral victory, its two youngest parties – Amanah and Bersatu – are spreading their wings and defying their detractors, who used to say they would never last.  

Bersatu, PH’s Bumiputera-based party, has been busy recruiting members at night markets and outside shoplots.

It hopes to expand its presence among Malay voters to increase their support for the ruling coalition.  

Although the results are encouraging, some Bersatu grassroots leaders are worried about accepting new members, especially from opposition party Umno, who may be looking for another gravy train.

Yet, party strategists and political analysts said membership numbers are not the main factor behind a party’s ability to continue winning elections. 

What is more important is the quality of members they bring in and voters’ confidence in the governments they run.   

“If it was about the number of members alone, PAS would have won the general election a long time ago, and Umno would never have lost,” said Mohd Azlan Zainal of polling outfit Ilham Centre. 

Umno officially boasts about three million members, some two million more than all the four PH parties combined. 

Despite that strength, said Azlan, Umno and Barisan Nasional were rejected by a majority of voters, who wanted a change in government. 

“Today’s political landscape is not the same like the past two decades, when membership numbers mattered. Today, a party wins not by having more members, but by gaining supporters who may not be tied to any party,” said the Ilham executive director. 

Greater challenges

Anuar said to date, Amanah has about 160,000 members at 163 divisions nationwide, each tied to a specific parliamentary seat.

According to past reports, Bersatu has about 200,000 members nationwide.

Although the number of new members is growing, veteran grassroots leaders worry about the quality and commitment of these individuals, particularly because they are joining after the party is in government.  

“I worry about their level of sacrifice, of dedication to the party,” Malacca Amanah leader Amiruddin Abdul Jalil said of the new activists who signed up post-GE14. 

“I’ve seen some people join three parties in PH at once, and then compare which party gives them the most benefits,” said the Jasin Amanah vice-chief.  

“They stay active with the party that gives the most benefits. This is the challenge for us. The challenges after the victory are bigger than the challenges during the struggle.”   

Mohd Faizul Mohd Ismail of Perak Bersatu said the party faces the same problem with ex-Umno members who are fleeing the former ruling party, which is notorious for its patronage system and money politics. 

“These people fought us and called us all sorts of names in GE14. We won, and now,  they want to join us. So, of course, we distrust them,” said Faizul of the Teluk Intan Bersatu division. 

“They bring in their money, and we are afraid they will corrupt us, like how they corrupted Umno.”    

A senior Bersatu leader said this tension between pre- and post-GE14 members will hopefully be resolved by the party elections scheduled in September. 

“All our leaders are appointed, and that status carries a certain stigma because it means you don’t have the support of your members, or that you are there only because you are tied to a certain leader. The elections will finally be the platform for each person to prove his legitimacy,” said the supreme council member, who requested anonymity. 

Bersatu has passed a rule that former Umno members who joined post-GE14 cannot contest party posts or be fielded as a candidate in GE15.

GE15 battlefield

Despite the growth of the two parties, leaders admit that it is still hard to gain a foothold in rural Malay areas, where Umno and PAS dominate.   

“In Johor, we won in all the major west coast urban centres, Muar, Segamat, central Batu Pahat and Johor Baru,” said newly appointed state Bersatu chief Mazlan Bujang. 

“Our members are growing in these areas. But places like Mersing, Kota Tinggi, central Johor, the growth is slow,” said Mazlan, whose division, Tebrau, has the highest number of branches and members. 

The same is true for Amanah, which has expanded mostly in the west coast of the peninsula compared with the east coast states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang, said a party strategist. 

“Our target has always been open-minded Muslims and non-Muslims, and most of them are on the west coast. People who live on the east coast are more narrow-minded, and that’s why PAS is still strong there,” said the Amanah official, who requested anonymity.    

Azlan said expanding in rural areas is critical to securing the Malay vote in GE15. 

“A party’s presence in urban and semi-urban areas is not so important because voters get their information and services from a variety of sources.”

But in rural areas, a political party, such as Umno or PAS, has always been a platform for the community to access aid and information, he said.

Village chiefs and imams of the local surau are also seen by rural voters as important opinion-shapers.    

“Networks in Malay villages and Felda settlements are important, and this is where Bersatu and Amanah have to improve. This is where the battlefield will be in GE15.” – May 19, 2019.