Identity politics continues to play a significant role in shaping Malay political sentiment, highlighting the strategic value of the electoral cooperation between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN), according to political analyst Mazlan Ali.
The Universiti Teknologi Malaysia academic said the alliance between the two coalitions was aimed at consolidating Malay votes ahead of the Negeri Sembilan election this weekend.
Mazlan said rural Malays, who make up about 70% of the Malay electorate and are largely concentrated in the eastern part of Negeri Sembilan, are strongly influenced by identity politics and emotional sentiments.
“By joining forces, BN and PN have become an ‘umbrella’ for Malays,” he told FMT.
He said the narrative of Malay-Muslim unity would naturally become the central message of the alliance’s campaign.
Urban Malays more focused on policies
Mazlan said Malays who place greater emphasis on socio-economic issues are generally highly educated urban professionals.
However, he noted that this more “progressive” group accounts for only about 30% of Malay voters.
According to Mazlan, these voters are more likely to support Pakatan Harapan (PH) because they are attracted to issues such as good governance, improving quality of life, creating job opportunities and reducing the cost of living.
He said the BN-PN alliance would therefore enjoy an electoral advantage by consolidating support among the larger rural Malay voting bloc.
Mazlan was responding to PH secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail’s recent remarks that the coalition did not need to prove it was “more Malay” than Umno or Bersatu, or “more Islamic” than PAS, to win public support.
Former Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming had also argued that the BN-PN electoral pact would benefit both coalitions by preventing a split in Malay votes.
He noted that in previous elections, divisions in the Malay vote had enabled PH to win several constituencies.
“It is very likely that Malay support for both BN and PN will exceed 70%,” Ong said.
Identity politics remains deeply rooted
Separately, National Council of Professors fellow Azmi Hassan said identity politics remains deeply embedded in Malaysia’s political landscape because the country’s major political parties continue to draw support along communal lines.
While he acknowledged that policy-based campaigns are desirable, Azmi said electoral contests would ultimately continue to revolve around communal sentiments.
He said PKR would struggle if it focused solely on policies without highlighting its contributions to specific communities.
“Which is why they need to work with DAP and Amanah,” he said.
Azmi also said political parties should not be criticised for adopting a communal approach.
“They are playing to the gallery, and voters are generally comfortable with parties that talk about race and how they intend to defend the community’s interests,” he added.
