The Malaysian Insight

MALAYS north of the country are disappointed in the performance of Pakatan Harapan since it won the last general election in May last year.

A little more than 500 days since the coalition swept into power on  a litany of reform promises, Malays in Perlis, Kedah and Seberang Prai said the new government had not changed their lives at all.

This was affirmation of the low Malay support for PH revealed in a survey held by research house Ilham Centre. It was found that only one in four Malay voters in Malay-majority states voted for it in the last general election.

In random interviews in the same states conducted by the The Malaysian Insight, the Malays said many of their issues remain unresolved.

They said the ousted Barisan Nasional government was far more generous with aid.

Muhammad Zaidi Shaharuddin, 47, in Kuala Muda said the financial assistance he enjoyed from BN was no longer forthcoming.

He said he last received such a handout last year from the BR1M programme and that it amounted  RM1,200 in three staggered payments.

“I have not received anything yet this year. I have been to the Internal Revenue Board (IRB) several times and they asked for all kinds of documents. Still, I have not received anything,” he said.

This includes the fisherman’s monthly allowance of RM200 that he as a fisherman is entitled to.

“I don’t feel like asking anymore for help.”

Engineer Ammar Zainal Abidin, 25, is of the view that voters were tricked by PH which to this day were yet to deliver on its pledges in its manifesto.

“For example, the promise to get rid of toll which had appealed to the low-income group – until now the toll is still there.

“Many who were financially strained probably voted for PH because of the promise,” the Permatang Pauh resident said.

Still, there are those who are willing to give the new government more time to make the promised changes.

Rohaida Ismail, 34, who sells coconut water in Kulim, is among the patient ones.

“The PH government has only been in power a short time. We also understand the financial problems faced by the country,” he said.

“Therefore it’s too early to condemn the PH government. It needs time.”

Rohaida admitted she had not seen the government make any effort to assist the small Malay traders.

“PH needs to help traders and hawkers like me by providing us with a special licence as we are unable to open a big shop.

“The licence fee is not much but our applications for one are rejected every time. The  local council will then come after us and slapp us with a RM200 summons. That is a lot of money when we sometimes make only RM20 a day,” he said.

There are also Malays who are concerned about the strong influence is perceived to wield over the coalition, saying this could affect their racial and religious privileges.

They said the nationwide prohibition against Indian preacher Zakir Naik speaking in public was an example of Muslim rights being infringed upon.

They also saw the Buy Muslim First (BMF) campaign to be a result of pressure felt by the Malay-Muslim community.

“The BMF campaign shows that the interests of Malays are affected in this current period because there was no such campaign in the past,” Muhamad Irfan Nafis Mohd Rafizi said.

The 21-year-old Perlis native from Arau, is one of those uneasy about DAP – a party he believed to be unfriendly to Malays and Muslims – gaining power.

Ahmad Fazin Shoib, 56, a food hawker from Kulim, Kedah, said he regretted voting for PH because DAP had assumed a dominant role in the new administration.

“I voted for PH but now I regret it. For the next general election, I will prefer Umno and PAS,” he said, referring to the new two-party coalition.

“I am disappointed in PH because they do not take care of the interests of the Malays.

“We seemed to be alienated and neglected.”

Nibong Tebal tourist guide, Abu Kassim Abu Bakar, 67, pooh-poohed the claims that Malays were marginalised, dismissing them as a political ploy.

“To me the accusations are not true. Those who say such things only want political support (of the Malays).

On September 14, Umno and PAS formalised their political cooperation to safeguard the rights of Malays and Islam.

Last week, Ilham Centre in its report on current Malay political trends stated the PAS-Umno pact could threaten PH in the next general election.

“However, it remains to be seen if the issues of racism and religion remain relevant and significant when the next general election comes around,” Ilham Centre said. – September 26, 2019.