Alliance with DAP is hurting UMNO says ex-minister

MALAYSIA: There is no other way to understand what is going to happen in Malaysia’s politics other than that there will be a breakup between the Malay-led United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and the Chinese-led Democratic Action Party (DAP). And this will signal the end of the Madani government headed by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

This conclusion can be made after listening to Khairy Jamaluddin, former UMNO Youth Chief, who joined The Breakfast Grille hosted by BFM radio.

On the current cooperation between UMNO and DAP, Khairy said it is not sitting well with Malay voters.

“With the Malay voters, not so. So one of the biggest pain points that we, UMNO, [UMNO], is facing today is this very, very succinct bullet, which is UMDap. UMDap is an amalgamation of UMNO and DAP.

“And that is hurting us in the Malay ground, because of the still existing antipathy towards DAP amongst certain segment of the Malay voters,” he said.

He said that while the collaboration in the Madani or unity government has helped UMNO to remain relevant in terms of national governance, allowing some of its leaders to serve in the cabinet, the Malay sentiment in the heartland is where the party is hurting.

“But in terms of the Malay sentiment in the Malay heartland, that’s where we are being hurt, but why is that? So I’m surprised because you’ve had unprecedented stability after the volatility post-Sheraton.

“We have, you know, reasonably intelligent ministers, not always a given in Malaysian politics, as you know.

We’ve had some policy initiatives, a lot of them geared towards the economy, growth towards creating employment, all the things that actually benefit people.

“Why is this amalgamation? Why not cooperation between UMNO and DAP? Why not rapprochement between the Malay community and the Chinese community at large?”

He added that this divide between UMNO and DAP supporters is because of decades of indoctrination on both sides, not just on the UMNO side, but also on the DAP side, the other is the bogeyman.

It is also difficult to shed that in the three years of the Madani government, with generations of party supporters, cadres, and even the community at large, who view the other in a certain way.

He said that while things may be running smoothly, it sometimes takes one statement for things to disrupt. This may come from a leader in UMNO, and he mentions the fiery UMNO youth leader Dr Akmal Saleh or the outspoken Housing and Local Government, Nga Kor Ming, from the DAP as examples.

Both Akmal and Nga are seen as the extremes in Malaysian politics.

Akmal Saleh is widely known for his highly polarising, “culture war” politics and frequent public clashes with Pakatan Harapan allies and critics.

His political style – which many compare to right-wing politicians — has resulted in intense factional friction, police investigations, and a direct impact on his governance roles.

Nga is no stranger to controversies and disputes involving the Minister, and an example is how the Minister clashed with opposition lawmakers in Parliament who accused him of manipulating Islamic terms and religious phrases (such as “Alhamdulillah”) for political optics.

In the end, Khairy says the public in general is not feeling the ‘good things’ done by the Madani government and PM Anwar in terms of economic and political stability.

It also appears that time may not be on the Madani side if the threats by UMNO and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) to file candidates against each other in the upcoming state polls. This could lead to a rapid disintegration of Madani.