JANUARY 9 — Identity politics in which race and religion play an undeniably a powerful primordial lforce that could incite a community to be confrontational or hostile against another community has taken root for quite a long time in Malaysia.
But, are we not exhausted of playing the race-religion agenda and motive in gaining the support of the people? However, the question remains why do race and religion need to be politicised to win the rakyat’s votes in the first place? It is possible to champion the interests of the people without going overboard on matters of race and religion.
The significance of racial and religious emotions lies within their capacity of bringing together or tearing apart communities, and this is the reason why politicians of all stripes are prone to arousing racial and religious sentiments to gain political mileage.
Malaysia has practised racial based politics for the past 52 years and we know it is divisive as politicians will harp on sensitive issues ostensibly on the pretext that they are representing their respective communities. This is unhealthy and toxic because such politicking does not promote national unity and undermines nation building.
The defining characteristic in Malaysian politics is that of the division of citizens into Bumiputera and non-Bumiputera. While the motive and intent behind the classification is to ensure that Bumiputeras are not left behind in socio-economic terms, non-Bumiputeras have felt marginalised and discriminated against.
And so, the cycle of the politicisation of race and religion continues to characterise the political debates and discourse. It is an unending pattern of the exploitation of race and religion for political ends.
The then dominant Umno was renowned for playing up the racial and religious issues on the pretext that it was the undoubted defender of Malay rights and Islam. It is now in a strategic alliance with PAS under Muafakat Nasional.
The upcoming Kimanis by-election in Sabah which will be held on January 18 will not be much different from other elections in general. Identity politics will still be the factor in the campaigning during this by-election.
Although race and religion are not as politicised in East Malaysia compared to Peninsular Malaysia, the presence of UMNO in the context of the newly formed Muafakat Nasional could bring a negative impact. By that it is meant the political division along racial and religious lines could be heightened.
This is because the parties will be mainly identified with a certain race or religion, and therefore be pitted against one another on that basis. It is arguable that Umno might want to implicitly or tacitly play up the race and religion card but in a subtle way by pitting PBS (Parti Bersatu Sabah) against Warisan. UMNO is already raising the issue of the Sabah temporary pass (PSS). In what amounts to ‘dog-whistle’ politics, Umno is trying to insinuate that the Warisan-led Sabah State Government is trying to bring in Muslims migrants from the Southern Philippines through Sabah Temporary Pass.
Ideally, race and religion should be an asset to bridge the gap and build harmony among the communities and not a license to play a “holier than thou” game. In the case of Sabah, Sabahans are quite emphatic in not wanting to see a divisive culture on the basis of race and religion become entrenched.
The Voters’ Intention to Vote (VIV) Model formulated by EMIR Research indicates that racial and religious motives are not contributing factors in the voters’ intention to vote. In fact, the manifesto fulfillment and future expectation is what the rakyat are anticipating. The VIV Model indicated that manifesto fulfillment and future expectations of the people are found to have direct positive impact on the Government Satisfaction Index (GSI).
Why the race-religion approach is not relevant to Sabah?
Sabah is blessed with a multi ethnic and multi religious population. For the record, there are 42 ethnic groups with over 200 sub-ethnic groups with their own language, culture and beliefs. Despite its diversity, Sabah has always emphasised unity and harmony.
The political landscape in Sabah is different to what it is in the Peninsular. The Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Mohd Shafie bin HjApdal has always highlighted the need to maintain the practice of recognising, accepting and respecting each other regardless of race and religion and to always practise the moderate approach and avoid extremism, including in politics
However, it is depressing to see there exist efforts by several political parties that tend to promote and spread extreme race-based or religion-based politics to deepen differences, and arouse anger and hate among the people in the hope of gaining political support.
There are many other matters that require critical attention and which are close to the heart of Sabahans. Access to basic facilities like proper roads, clean water, electricity, infrastructure, public transportation not to mention access to technologies, unemployment and illegal immigration remain issues to be addressed.
What we should focus on
Kimanis is situated in the West Coast Division of Sabah. Most of the population in the district are involved in the aqua-cultural and agricultural sector which make up their source of income. Rich in natural resources, most of the land area in Kimanis are used for commodity plantation such as rubber, oil palm as well as watermelon. Most importantly, Kimanis is also well known for its oil and gas resources making it to be an important industrial town providing jobs to the population.
Political parties should be focusing on improving the local economy and the livelihood of the people. Therefore, the political issues during the campaigning should be about jobs, wages, transportation, infrastructure, and access to basic facilities.
An example of this is the recent initiative by the Head of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development to allocate budget to reconstruct and improve the 15 years old impoverished jetty and fishery barn in Kimanis. The poor state of the jetty and fisheries barn have affected more than 500 fishermen in the area. The reconstruction and upgrade will provide better facilities to cater to their fishermen need.
Race and religion do not need to factor in the campaigning here at all in Kimanis.
Attending issues at hand is what we need to focus on to which in parallel to the effort to fulfill the Shared Prosperity vision. Year 2020 is a year to see more development that is not exclusive but rather inclusive.
* DayangShuzaidah is a Research Analyst at EMIR Research, an independent think tank focused on strategic policy recommendations based on rigorous research.
** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail
