KUALA LUMPUR – The Chinese community is still in favour of voting for DAP because they view the party as “the protector” of their communal interests, Bersatu youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal claimed.
In a series of TikTok videos uploaded on his private Twitter account last night, Wan Fayshal said this goes to show that identity politics is not only practised by Malay voters, but also by the said ethnic group.
“Why we vote on the racial line is because we do believe that these political parties not only represent Malaysian interests but also their communal interests,” he said.
Hentam demi hentaman ditujukan semata-mata krn pandangan yg saya berikan utk pertahankan hak, kedudukan & peranan org Melayu di bumi Malaysia.
— Wan Ahmad Fayhsal (@wanfayhsal) April 6, 2022
Lebih malang lagi ada ahli politik Melayu yg sanggup memperlecehkan & mempersoalkan usaha & wacana yg saya bawakan dlm hal ini. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/shY0bspDpJ
While Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders may deny or even belittle the political thinking of the Malay community, Wan Fayshal stressed that identity politics is still very much relevant to this group.
He said the Malays still place high hopes on their Malay political leaders and wish for them to be trustworthy, honest and not involved in corruption, as well as knowledgeable in the group’s privilege in Malaysia.
Apa yang jelas, saya akan terus bersuara demi bangsa Melayu sekalipun berdiri keseorangan.
— Wan Ahmad Fayhsal (@wanfayhsal) April 6, 2022
Ini adalah prasyarat penting jika kita mahu Malaysia menjadi sebuah negara yang meraikan seluruh rakyatnya secara adil dan saksama. 2/3 pic.twitter.com/t0aXZoQmIQ
Therefore, the deputy national unity minister said, PH’s failure in wooing Malay voters is due to the lack of emphasis in the sociological dimensions of Malay politics.
“Why PH failed is because they do not emphasise the dimensions of Malay political sociology where currently, the gap is filled by Perikatan Nasional (PN).
“We do not want to follow bad cultures, which is colonised by the old racist political parties that has long been practised by Umno and others.
“But this does not mean that what Umno has brought to the table is not compatible and not in line with what the people, the Malay voters want.”
Apa jua perbezaan kita, politik atau sebaliknya, kita tetap rakyat Malaysia. Salam Ramadan! 3/3 pic.twitter.com/y5La2XTuj9
— Wan Ahmad Fayhsal (@wanfayhsal) April 6, 2022
He explained Malay voters, who have rejected Umno, chose to show support for PN because the coalition led by former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin offers a comfort zone and assures confidence.
On Tuesday, The Vibes reported that Wan Fayshal said PH’s pust towards liberalism will only alienate it from the Malays who need a “protector” aligned with their identity politics.
He said the majority of Malaysians are not yet ready to embrace the sort of “full-blown” liberal democracy PH aspires to achieve, which was one reason why his party decided to leave the PH-led government in the infamous Sheraton Move in 2020.
PH’s liberal brand of politics is unsustainable and will only serve to erode Bumiputera support, as seen in their recent poor performance in the Melaka, Sarawak, and most recently Johor elections, he said. – The Vibes, April 7, 2022