All ethnic groups need to be represented for a stable government, say analysts

SHAH ALAM - The Unity government will be only be stable if all ethnic groups are represented in the ruling coalition, in the same administration, and participating in national governance, experts say.

Universiti Putra Malaysia political analyst Datuk Professor Dr Jayum Anak Jawan said this when asked on whether a vote for Perikatan Nasional (PN) is a vote for racism, due to the brand of politics that PN are currently championing.

"Yes, a vote for PN is a vote for racism, so too a vote for any political parties including for Umno, Pas, PKR, DAP and many components of the Unity Government in Sabah and Sarawak.

"PN President Tan Sri Muhyddin Yassin and his party is not doing anything that other political parties are or have been doing to draw political support.

"At the end of the day, regardless of your racist stand and approach, the government of Malaysia is only stable when all ethnic groups are in the ruling coalition, in the same cabinet and sharing in the governing of the country," he said to Sinar Daily.

Jayum further said the competition of peninsular Malay political support is now thrown open after the 15th General Election (GE15).

"The outcome of GE15 indicated that Malay political support is now divided four ways between Umno, Bersatu, Pas and PKR, but where each party is being dominant depends on the area.

"For example, in Kelantan Pas reigns supreme, while in Negeri Sembilan its Umno, and this position is solidified with the party working with PH-PKR in the Unity Government.

"The next state elections in the six states will see how Malay political support has changed since GE15, and the winner then can claim based on their performance. For now, all four have equal chances and opportunities to draw Malay political support," he said.

When asked on who is likely to be the candidate for Menteri Besar if PN managed to wrest Selangor from Pakatan Harapan (PH), Jayum said the leader of PN has the political authority to name his candidate and that candidate must be agreed to by the ruler.

"The PN leader and the ruler must abide by parliamentary procedure and they cannot act outside the framework of the political system, the parliamentary democracy," he said.

Meanwhile political analyst Dr Oh Ei Sun said a vote for PN is a vote for religiosity and not so much for racism, despite the amalgamation of race and religion in the country.

"The mainstream faction of Pas actually stresses on their religious appeal, which is open to all races.

"Bersatu provides the racial element to their political equation," he said.