PAS’s rock star of the moment is its Kedah MB Sanusi.
The Kedahan political celebrity is a crowd favourite in the Klang Valley too. Last night, Sanusi strode into the PAS Selangor open house to cheers and the sound of rhythmic drumbeats played over the loudspeakers.
Outside the PAS office in Shah Alam, a Raya crowd shouted “Takbir!” (Allahuakbar) “Takbir!” (Allahuakbar) “Takbir!” (Allahuakbar) …
Some wanted to take selfies with the Kedah MB; more snapped his photo on their mobiles (above) and many just wanted to catch a glimpse of the PAS rock star.
Meanwhile, does Mahathir still have enough star power to make a difference in the coming state elections?
Don’t discount our Beloved Tun’s ability to endlessly rejuvenate himself. Look at how he was mobbed by his enthusiastic Chinese fan base (see photo below) as recently as 2019.
Focus on tycoons and their wealth
A few days ago, PAS signed Mahathir’s Malay Proclamation.
Mahathir and PAS swapping pages of their respective blueprints is something new and a gamechanger. But what has Ubah to make possible this groundbreaking rapprochement between Mahathir and PAS?
Malaysia’s old framework of national co-existence has seen Chinese dominating the economic sector while Malays are in firm control of politics.
GE15, however, introduced a paradigm shift whereby the Chinese have in no way relinquished their economic dominance but at the same time increasingly strengthened their political supremacy with DAP in the driver’s seat.
DAP – which represents 97 percent of the Chinese electorate – presently has the second highest number of MPs (40), ahead of fading powerhouse Umno with its greatly reduced 26 MPs.
What is different now in 2023 compared to a decade ago when BN lost the GE13 popular vote? Answer: Finally, Mahathir has given up on Umno and cut his last lingering ties with the party.
Looking at Umno kowtowing to DAP must be as painful to Atuk as his recollection of the bad ol’ days when the Malay was an ‘Ahmad’ chauffeuring the Chinese towkay around uptown Alor Setar.
BELOW: Headline in Harakah: ‘DAP tidak pernah kendur mahukan jawatan PM’
The DAP’s increasingly transparent prime ministerial ambition – see above – is also giving Chedet heart palpitations. Hence Mahathir feeling prompted to act.
The maestro decided to mentor PAS on how to “selamatkan kaum Melayu” — see their seal-the-deal roll call (photo) below.
Under Mahathir’s able tutelage, the Islamist party is becoming the Malay-Muslim polity’s most legitimate voice (just like DAP is the overwhelming voice for Chinese and Christians).
Kongres Maruah Melayu 2.0
Ruhanie Ahmad nailed it.
Parsing Mahathir’s Malay proclamation, Ruhanie suggests that “orang Melayu, umat Islam dan masyarakat Peribumi yang selama ini pun ‘tidak pernah menguasai ekonomi negara ini’, mungkin tidak mampu berbuat demikian buat selama-lamanya!”
Ruhanie is a former chairman of Mara, ex-MP of Umno and veteran newsman. He has accurately flagged Mahathir’s idee fixe (obsessive idea) that Malays have not been able to surpass the Chinese in economic dominance despite 53 years of NEP — and indeed may never hope to do so.
“Masa depan Melayu kini amat gelap. Kemiskinan memaksa orang Melayu menjual tanah-tanah mereka,” warned Mahathir in his Malay Proclamation point #8.
In Mahathir’s reckoning, who else but the nefarious [fill in the blank] are buying up all the land from poverty-stricken Malays.
And then there is China’s trumpeted RM170 billion investment commitment following Anwar’s recent trip to Beijing. Will playing-footsie with a Han hegemon serve to enrich Malaysian-Chinese businessmen or Malay businessmen?
BELOW: Should PMX also be asking the Chinese tycoons to share their wealth too?
Malay Proclamation encapsulates Mahathirism 101
Mahathir earlier introduced his Malay proclamation in mid-March this year but it was only last week that PAS formally endorsed its dozen points.
The 12-point Malay proclamation is a rhetorical rehash of Mahathir’s 1970 Malay Dilemma. Everything it expresses would not have been amiss had the statements – e.g. “Lemahnya Melayu sehingga kedaulatan tanah air ini pun bakal terlepas dari tangan mereka” – been declared back in the 1960s or 1970s decade.
Mahathir’s declaration updated for 2023 is still venting about race (not religion) and themed on the premise of Malays facing an existential threat from You-Know-Who.
Mahathir’s Malay Proclamation which PAS endorsed does not specifically mention the word ‘Islam’ even once although the “Agama, Bangsa dan Negara” triangulation was invoked.
Likewise, the Chinese bogeyman is not explicitly mentioned either. However, the implicit presence of Chinese “predators” (terminology from Mahathir’s 1970 Malay Dilemma guidebook) hangs between the lines of Mahathir’s Malay Proclamation.
Beloved Tun’s mission and vision statement deals solely with “saving” the Malays through ethnic unity so that their grip on political power can be maintained (“Pemulihan bangsa Melayu hanya akan berjaya jika mereka kembali bersatu”).
Mahathir is, after all, already 98 years old. He desperately needs to pass his torch so that the ‘Perjuangan Yang Belum Selesai’ can be finished.
Mukhriz and Pejuang are sadly deemed as not being up to scratch.
BELOW: Mahathir reminding the public that DAP eagerly accepted him to be the Harapan PM
PAS anointed Mahathir’s ideological successor
Mahathir had previously considered PAS a rival and foe. No longer. He is currently bestowing on PAS the task of carrying on his precious legacy. This is an acknowledgement that PAS has today taken over the mantle of biggest Malay party.
Ini kerana Umno sudah ke longkang. Point #5 of Mahathir’s Malay Proclamation states: “Parti Melayu atas nama Agama, Bangsa dan Negara sudah diseleweng menjadi parti untuk memewahkan diri”.
PAS had always borne the Islamic shield. Now PAS has been handed Mahathir’s Malay spear.
And all the Islamist party needs to do next is run with Mahathir’s ball. Such a double-barrelled PAS will be unbeatable.
Helen Ang
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