Charles Santiago
The Johor state election on 11 July handing a thumping victory to Barisan Nasional has delivered a clear political message. It should not be dismissed as an isolated setback.
First, Pakatan Harapan no longer has a lock on the ethnic minority vote. The old assumption that ethnic minority voters have nowhere else to go has been firmly challenged.
Second, the voting pattern suggests an important generational shift. Younger ethnic minority voters were more willing to support Barisan Nasional and Bersama.
Older voters largely stayed loyal to PH.
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This emerging divide deserves serious reflection.
Third, there is a long-standing strategy of invoking Pas as a religious bogeyman to rally ethnic minority support. It appears to be losing its effectiveness. Fear is no longer a substitute for governance, reform and delivery.
Fourth, PH’s poor showing has more to do with its own failure to keep key reform promises. Blaming Bersama, a party barely 55 days old, for splitting the vote misses the point. Voters are unhappy about broken promises, not simply reacting to a new party on the ballot.
The way back
The answer is not better political messaging. It is a return to the reform agenda that brought PH to power in the first place.
That agenda should begin with concrete action.
- Make public the investigation report into former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief Azam Baki, and show real commitment to institutional accountability.
- Present a credible new socioeconomic plan to fix the long-standing problems facing the ethnic Indian community.
- Introduce a full social protection package for Malaysia’s two million gig workers, giving them a fair wage, healthcare and retirement savings.
PH’s window to change course is closing fast.
It would be naive to think Johor was merely a by-election defeat. It was also a referendum on broken promises.
Ignore it, and Negeri Sembilan may become the next chapter in the same story.
Charles Santiago is a prominent Malaysian politician, economist and human rights advocate who served three terms as the MP for Klang and has twice chaired the National Water Services Commission.
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
