Why the Malays are returning to Umno
UMNO still retains Malay support. The support of the dominant Islamic race for Pas, an Islamist party that has been fighting neck and neck with Umno for the Malay ground for more than five decades, continues to dwindle.
This was reflected yesterday in Barisan Nasional's double victory in Merlimau and Kerdau, two Malay-majority constituencies, and in the results of recent Umno-Pas electoral battles.
Nearly 90 per cent of voters in Kerdau were Malays while Malays comprise 65 per cent of voters in Merlimau.
Umno candidates who represented BN in the by-elections secured a 3,643 vote-majority in Merlimau and a 2,724 vote-majority in Kerdau, higher than the results in the 2008 polls.
In 2004, BN candidates won Merlimau by 2,154 votes and Kerdau by 1,615.
At the last Umno-Pas showdown in Tenang, Johor, 83 per cent of Malay votes went to the Umno candidate.
The battle between the two parties in Galas, Kelantan, saw Pas' support reduced to about 10 per cent while the by-election in the almost exclusive Malay constituency of Manek Urai, also in Pas' home base of Kelantan, saw Pas' previous 1,352-vote majority slashed to 65.
Why are Malays, particularly in rural areas, returning to Umno?
One reason is the lack of trust in Pas to guarantee their future and that of their children.
Many are not convinced that their religious, economic and political priorities can be taken care of by Pas under the alliance it entered with Parti Keadilan Rakyat and the secular DAP, despite continuous assurances from Pas.
Recently, party spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat said his party had never forsaken Malay rights.
At a Pas convention on empowering Malays in Selangor, the Kelantan menteri besar of 20 years said Pas prioritised the needs of Malays because they were the largest Islamic race in Malaysia.
The convention hoped to silence critics who had derided the party for being anti-Malay in aligning itself with DAP.
Another reason was people's fear of Pas' new politics. Pas even scared away its activists when it embraced non-Muslims as members.
The more conservative members and supporters, mostly in rural areas, think the party had deviated from its original struggle as an Islamic movement.
The Malay vote has seen the biggest shift to the opposition over the last five general elections, with Pas being the chief beneficiary.
The party's share of votes increased three-fold from about 376,000 in 1990 to 1.1 million in 2008.
As for Umno winning the Malay middle ground, the younger and more educated Malay voters, in particular, are crucial.
Umno needs to woo them since they are the real players of the new politics.
Nonetheless, the results of the by-elections not only boosted the morale of BN members but also acted as an endorsement of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's leadership and policies.
-New Straits Times
