HOME Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has stressed that PKR cannot claim to be more Malay than UMNO or Bersatu, nor can it compete with PAS in presenting itself as a more Islamic-oriented party, saying identity-based political competition would only result in a “zero-sum game” with no real winner.
He said political parties should avoid competing on ethnic and religious grounds and instead focus on their ability to deliver solutions to the country’s pressing challenges.
“It is impossible for me and Keadilan (PKR) to claim that we are more Malay than UMNO or Bersatu, or for me to say that I can be more Islamic than PAS because its niche is as an Islamic party.
“So, who wins? It’s a zero-sum game, there is no winner,” he told reporters after the Home Ministry’s monthly assembly on Monday.
Saifuddin said that after 69 years of independence, political discourse should move away from identity issues and towards assessing government performance in solving problems affecting the people.
He said performance-based politics would allow voters to evaluate tangible achievements, including efforts to address poverty, social issues and drug abuse.
“Why is a poor state associated with what? The highest drug incidents in Malaysia per 100,000 population.
“So when it is the poorest, drug problems are the worst, suddenly we only talk about identity politics involving Malays, Chinese and Indians,” he said.
He argued that excessive focus on identity politics prevents the public from scrutinising whether governments have effectively addressed fundamental issues.
“Why is poverty still serious? Poverty is followed by other weaknesses. If we want to talk about Islam and Malays being threatened, Malays are threatened when poverty is widespread,” he said.
Earlier in his speech, Saifuddin urged Malaysians to shift from identity politics to performance politics, saying governments should be assessed based on their ability to resolve people’s problems rather than through racial or religious sentiments.
He said identity politics often creates a divide between “us” and “them”, while performance-based politics benefits all citizens regardless of background.
Saifuddin added that poverty eradication policies implemented without considering race would ultimately benefit Malays the most as they represent the largest group among those affected by poverty.
“If we introduce a policy to eradicate poverty, we know statistically that Malays are the largest group among the poor in our country.
“If that policy eradicates poverty, while poor Chinese are assisted and poor Indians are supported, a poverty eradication policy without looking at skin colour will benefit Malays the most because they are the largest number among those who are poor,” he said.
He said a government programme genuinely aimed at achieving zero poverty would represent the right policy direction and urged Malaysians to evaluate leaders based on performance.
“This is different from asking the people to debate from the angle of identity politics. It is time for us to encourage the people to move forward and evaluate based on performance,” he said.
Saifuddin also clarified that his remarks were not linked to any early voting exercise for a by-election, stressing that they were part of a general message on the importance of prioritising performance-based politics.
“This is not part of any campaign. This is a press conference responding to questions from journalists,” he said. - July 27, 2026
