UMNO-PAS marriage again? Anwar is staring down the barrel of a rekindled Malay unity pact
Despite Malaysia's strong economic performance, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim struggles to gain support from Malay-Muslim voters, facing increased political pressure from a potential UMNO-PAS unity pact.
Despite strong economic performance, Malaysia’s leader has struggled to win back Malay voters. The challenge just got harder.
Malaysia’s economy has outperformed expectations, but politically, Anwar’s wager looks increasingly fragile as support among Malay-Muslim voters remains stubbornly elusive for his Pakatan Harapan coalition.
PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Shannon Teoh
Published
During a TIME magazine interview in October 2023, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was asked how he would combat Malay-Islamist supremacist rhetoric in Malaysia. This came just two months after the opposition led by Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) had made huge gains in polls across six states and even denied Anwar and his allies a single seat in north-eastern Terengganu.
Appearing relatively sanguine in the face of ebbing support from the Malay-Muslim majority, he said: “Economic development. A more just, equitable system so that no community or part of the country is seen to be ignored or marginalised.”
source: The Straits Times https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/umno-pas-marriage-again-anwar-is-staring-down-the-barrel-of-a-rekindled-malay-unity-pact?ref=top-stories
