KUALA LUMPUR – DAP lawmaker Nga Kor Ming’s perceived lack of popularity among the Malay community, attributed to various proposals and statements, could play into Umno’s hands as the party seeks to regain support from this voting bloc.
A political analyst told Scoop that the Barisan Nasional linchpin’s strong opposition to certain suggestions raised by the housing and local government minister could potentially attract more Malay voters who were initially deterred by Nga.
Prof Azmi Hassan, a senior fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research, highlighted that leveraging Nga’s series of missteps, particularly those impacting the Malay community, could enable Umno to assert itself as an essential part of the unity government.
“(Nga’s blunders) are an opportunity for Umno to demonstrate that it can stand up to DAP, even when the former is currently not that influential in the government (compared to the latter).
“Yes, (Nga’s proposals) detract Malay support from DAP, but with Umno capitalising (on the backlash against Nga), it’s a plus for the unity government in terms of attracting Malay support,” Azmi said.
Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh has consistently lambasted Nga over the latter’s idea to have Chinese new villages gazetted as Unesco World Heritage Sites. Dr Akmal also refused to apologise for his criticism of the minister, despite DAP MP Chow Yu Hui’s demands for him to do so.
Nga had also courted controversy when he suggested that Terengganu’s historic Pasar Payang be rebranded as “Central Market at Pasar Payang,” citing the possibility of the location being an arts, crafts, culture and tourism hub in the state.
In response to public backlash and Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar’s rejection of the idea, Nga has said he “openly accepts” the decision, even though the site’s facelift was a RM70-million project funded by the federal government.
Given both situations, Azmi said that while Nga could have made the suggestions to “appease” DAP supporters, this was unnecessary as the party received “near-perfect” support from the non-Malay voter base.
“It’s not DAP or PKR’s job to attract Malay voters. To a certain extent, even Amanah does not have the capability to pull in support from the Malays – it’s a job only (meant for) Umno,” he said.
“DAP needs to help Umno in any way that it can so that (the latter) is perceived by Malays to have influence, at least in the unity government.”
Prior to the last general election in November 2022, Nga raised eyebrows for warning that the Malaysian administration could become akin to a “Taliban state” if Perikatan Nasional continued to lead the country. This led to some quarters accusing Nga of offending the feelings of Malay-Muslims in the country.
Meanwhile, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia lecturer Assoc Prof Mazlan Ali said that the issue of Chinese new villages had been manipulated by certain groups with political interests, causing Malays to perceive the proposal as a “threat”.
He also said that Nga’s choice of issues to pick on had lent him a negative image among Malay voters, adding: “Of course Malay voters will reject DAP in the next general election.” – March 16, 2024