Offer of peace with PAS a sign of shrinking Malay support for Anwar, say observers

A think tank sees the recent offers of reconciliation with PAS by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang as a signal that the government is running out of ways to attract the support of the Malays. 

Iris Institute also referred to the shift in support among the community towards Perikatan Nasional (PN) at the last general election, especially in Malay-majority seats in rural areas. 

Speaking to MalaysiaNow, its CEO Syed Ahmad Israa' Syed Ibrahim said this showed that the administration led by Anwar and his Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition was aware of its loss of Malay support. 

"If there are talks for PAS to join hands with PH and Barisan Nasional (BN), this means that the government has no strategy to attract Malay support," he said. 

He added that the Malays had clearly voted in favour of a coalition that could defend their well-being and their rights enshrined in the Federal Constitution. 

Syed Ahmad Israa' also said that the government's direction in fighting for such causes appeared unclear, which in turn made it difficult to rally the support of the Malays. 

Even if PAS agreed to join the government, he said, it might not be able to change the situation.

"If PAS works with the government, the Malay voters might become disappointed and pull their support for all parties including PAS, PH and Umno," he said. 

Political observer Zin Mahmud meanwhile said that the dispute surrounding the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims would also affect the Malays' perception of the government. 

He told MalaysiaNow that the issue was like "free bullets" for PN ahead of the elections due in six states this year. 

"This will definitely reduce Malay support for the government," he said. 

The government's move to withdraw its appeal against a high court decision allowing Christians to use "Allah" alongside several other words in religious publications for educational purposes was criticised by Muslim groups. 

Anwar defended the decision, saying the court ruling on the right to use the word was only for the state of Sarawak. 

But Syed Ahmad Israa’ said the court decision would be applicable throughout the country. 
  
"This will be a litmus test for the government on its consistency," he said. 

"It would be strange for flip-flops like this to happen within the administration."