Despite almost being 100, Tun Mahathir still refuses to take a backseat in politics. The grand old man, a lifelong advocate for Malay rights, has long seen PAS as his rival in the battle of the Malay soul.
In the 1999 general election, PAS captured Terengganu from the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). As the prime minister and president of UMNO at the time, Mahathir ceased petroleum royalty payments to PAS-led Terengganu for resources extracted within the state, despite its economic underdevelopment being one of the worst in Malaysia. Hadi Awang served as the chief minister of Terengganu back then, and his relationship with Mahathir soured as a result.
This long-term rivalry with PAS stems from a deep ideological disagreement with Mahathir’s idea for the future of the Malay ethnic group. PAS's ideology of political Islam, where Islam serves as the guiding principle for social behavior and politics, clashed with UMNO's focus on Malay nationalism. PAS also emphasized spiritual advancement, while UMNO was perceived as more concerned with economic and material goals. Since the Malaysian constitution mandates Malays to adhere to the Islamic faith, PAS and UMNO essentially compete for the same pool of voters.
Given that the 80-90s were a turbulent time for Islamic politics on a global level due to the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Mahathir believed that he needed an Islamic counterpoint to PAS, thus bringing Anwar into the fold, and planting the seed for the decades-long drama that permeates every aspect of Malaysian politics till today.
It is ironic the that despite this history, in May 2023, PAS President Hadi Awang endorsed the 'Malay Proclamation,' a 12-point document drafted by Mahathir that calls for the unity of Malays to "reclaim the political power of Malays." However, the proclamation asserts that Malays have "lost" political control, presumably under the current Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and urges setting aside political differences to "revive" and "protect" the Malay race.
Mahathir's argument holds some validity as he contends that Malays are divided into three political factions. In the November 2022 general election in Malaysia, the Malay vote was split among three rival coalitions: Perikatan Nasional (PN), Barisan Nasional (BN), and Pakatan Harapan (PH), in descending order. The unity government led by Anwar is a coalition of PH, BN, and East Malaysian parties.
However, Mahathir’s brand has largely suffered since GE14, with Malays arguably seeing him as a desperate old man peddling an outdated ideology. Given that, no attention should be given to him at this point.
Let the man lie with his legacy.
No comments:
Post a Comment