Malay unity does not automatically guarantee political stability, an analyst said, describing the belief as a ‘myth’ unsupported by history.
Global Asia Consulting analyst Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri said history had shown that Malay political parties could cooperate, split and clash again even without DAP or pressure from non-Malay parties.
Commenting on a statement by Wawasan president Hamzah Zainudin, he said blaming external parties was an easy way to avoid confronting failures within Malay politics.
‘We are really looking for the easiest scapegoat so that we do not have to confront our own failures,’ he told FMT.
Hamzah, who is also Perikatan Nasional (PN) deputy chairman and the opposition leader, had said Malay unity was crucial to ensuring political stability and allowing the country to focus on a shared economic agenda.
He also said non-Malays should not fear a united Malay community, arguing that unity among the majority could bring peace and allow the country to move forward.
History shows repeated Malay political divisions
Zaharuddin cited PAS’s expulsion from Barisan Nasional (BN) in 1977, followed by the Umno crisis a decade later and the party being declared illegal the following year.
He also pointed to the emergence of Parti Semangat 46 and the ‘reformasi’ movement as examples of divisions within Malay politics.
He said the formation of PKR, Bersatu and Amanah, as well as the collapse of Muafakat Nasional, further demonstrated that Malay political cooperation did not necessarily last.
‘No single party can be blamed for the entire history of Malay politics,’ he said.
BN and PN cooperation failed to ensure lasting stability
Zaharuddin said the administrations formed after the 14th general election provided the clearest evidence that unity among Malay parties did not necessarily guarantee political stability.
He noted that BN and PN were part of the same government under the administrations of Muhyiddin Yassin and Ismail Sabri Yaakob from March 2020 to October 2022.
However, he said their cooperation failed to produce a lasting political formula, as struggles over power, positions and seats continued to test relations between the parties.
He also cited the recent Negeri Sembilan election, where cooperation between the coalitions faced opposition from some grassroots members.
Zaharuddin pointed to objections from 16 Umno branches to a PN candidate in Klawang despite the political understanding between the coalitions.
He said this showed that an agreement reached at the leadership level did not necessarily eliminate competition or dissatisfaction among grassroots members.
Therefore, he said, a renewed BN-PN pact could not be regarded as a guarantee of political stability.
‘The important questions are: united under whom? For what purpose? With what agenda? After uniting, what will change in the lives of the people?’ he said.
Political unity must be backed by an agenda
Zaharuddin said political unity would bring little benefit if its sole purpose was to defeat DAP or create fear among voters over perceived threats from other communities.
He said such an approach would not produce policies to address economic and education problems, social mobility or institutional weaknesses.
‘If DAP disappears tomorrow, do not be too confident that the Malays will remain united. We may simply look for a new enemy the following day,’ he said.
‘The problem is not who our enemy is, but why we need an enemy to unite us.’
He said unity that depended on the existence of an enemy was not genuine unity, but fear disguised as solidarity.
Zaharuddin said genuine stability came from leaders who could offer a clear economic agenda, stronger institutions and solutions to the problems faced by the people.
He added that shifts in support across several elections also showed that Malay voters were not a fixed bloc driven solely by identity-based sentiments.
Instead, he said, Malay voters were capable of assessing performance, punishing parties and giving others an opportunity.
‘Malays do not need DAP to become divided. Malays are perfectly capable of doing so themselves,’ he said.
