TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A Malaysian political analyst at the University of Malaya, Dr. Awang Azman, expects the Malay Tsunami phenomenon will not take place at the country`s general election on May 9.
The term “Malay Tsunami", introduced by Malaysian opposition party, suggests that the Malay voters will shift from Islamic-based Umno Party to the opposition parties such as Partai Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) in the upcoming election. PPBM is founded by former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
“There is no such thing called Malay Tsunami. It is just a tidal wave,” Awang told Tempo through a WhatsApp message on Friday, April 27.
According to Awang, several regions such as Perlis and Sarawak are still the stronghold for Barisan Nasional (BN). He continued that BN has a strong base in rural areas. This includes the Partai Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) that started to build a close relationship with Umno, Awang added.
Read: Malaysia's Election Campaign Kicks Off
Meanwhile, Pakatan Harapan (PH) opposition; which consists of Partai Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and PPBM, has a strong base in the urban areas.
Awang suggests both coalitions offer the public with popular policies in order to be able to compete.
Bridget Welsh, a political analyst at the John Cabot University in Rome, Italy, said that the Malay Tsunami issue is focusing on the calculation of whether Malay voters will be split.
According to Welsh, PH coalition is optimistic it will win some of Umno traditional voters and the Malay community, while BN coalition believes that the split among Malays will be minimized. "Which party wins the majority of Malays is traditionally seen as having the right to rule Malaysia, " he said.
Both sides are using this framing to gain support. PH is trying to show that it represents Malay community and can win the support.
