Analysts: Bumi, Muslim Credentials in Pakatan Pact needed to Fight Anti-Malay Label

The Malay Mail Online

09 January 2016

Pakatan Harapan’s pledge to uphold Malay and Muslim interests in its official agreement is timely and necessary to counter accusations that the federal opposition pact is anti-Malay and anti-Islam, political pundits say.

Analysts who spoke to Malay Mail Online also believed that while the coalition’s agreement was a step in the right direction, Pakatan Harapan’s challenge was to ensure that leaders from the three member parties—DAP, PKR and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) — remained committed to the spirit of the pact, especially in inter-party disputes.

“What has surprised the opposition is how much traction racial and religious issues can have with the Malay ground. This has shown member parties of Pakatan Harapan that they had overestimated the public acceptance of their agenda on good governance and inclusive politics.

… Political analyst Dr Oh Ei Sun, however, believed that the fear of Pakatan Harapan, especially DAP being anti-Malay, was only prevalent in rural areas of peninsular Malaysia, and that such issues were of no concern in Sabah and Sarawak.

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Last updated on 11/01/2016