The Malaysian Insight

FOLLOWING in the footsteps of Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin, the party’s youth chief, Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, said he is a Malay first and then only a Malaysian.

The deputy youth and sports minister said being Malay is part of his heritage and identity, whereas being a citizen is just a legality.

“This question has been asked to Muhyiddin. My answer is: ‘I am Malay first’,  as this comes from a legacy which has been recognised physically, biologically and culturally. Being a citizen comes from a legal aspect,” Wan Fayhsal told The Malaysian Insight.

Muhyiddin courted controversy in 2010 when he was deputy prime minister and said he is Malay first and then only a Malaysian.

He was responding to DAP’s Lim Kit Siang, who asked whether he was Malaysian first or Malay first as the then deputy prime minster was supporting  the 1Malaysia campaign launched by then prime minister Najib Razak to promote national unity and ethnic tolerance.

Muhyiddin, who was appointed prime minister in March after his new coalition Perikan Nasional took over federal power, appointed Wan Fayhsal as senator and deputy minister and endorsed him to win the recently concluded Bersatu youth elections.

Wan Fayhsal, however, said asking anyone if they were Malay first or Malaysian was similar to the chicken and egg question where it is a fallacy.

“You cannot choose one or the other as both go hand in hand. I am proud of being a Malaysian and I am also proud of being a Malay.

“This is what defines me. I am proud to be a Malay who defends the sovereignty of the country which is no big dilemma for me. I maintain that my image as a Malay is my main identity in politics,” the 33-year-old senator added.

He said his party was focused on delivering a new brand of “Malay politics” which will give birth to a new generation of leaders.

“We started this struggle to save the narrative of Malay nationalism from being ruined by scandals which are detrimental to the country. Armada (Bersatu youth) was born from the same mould.

“We challenge politics based on feudal patronage, we oppose politics that destroy the Malay grassroots and we want to give young people the chance to rise without being compromised by money politics. This is what we want to offer the Malay community,” said Wan Fahysal.

He said Pakatan Harapan and DAP especially, lost the government only after 22 months because it lost Malay support when it brought about reforms that challenged social norms.

“There were a lot of reform agendas which challenged the status quo of the country’s social contract. That is among the weaknesses of PH which made Malays reject PH.

“This was the cost paid by DAP and PH when they ignored the welfare and the sensitivities of Malay-Muslim politics which led to the government not lasting long,” said Wan Fayhsal.

The senator said the current PN government was trying to repair the damage and prove to the public the administration cares about the plight of the Malays.

“We are trying to fix the perception without ignoring the rights and needs of the non-Malays and other Bumiputera.

“PN today is not a Malay government but a Malaysian government with a strong, formidable Malay core. We want to show non-Malays, Malay politics is fair and just. This is what we want to contrast from PH,” said Wan Fayhsal.

PH lost the government in February after then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad resigned. 

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin led Bersatu out of PH and formed PN with Umno, PAS, PRS and Gabungan Parti Sarawak to form a new government. – November 10, 2020.