It seems Malaysian President Mahathir Mohammed is running against time since last few months. After a series of blows from the international community, including India and the United States, the 94-year-old leader is losing at the domestic front too. In the latest by-election in ethnic Chinese dominated Tanjung Piai constituency, his party lost to Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition.
Mahathir’s Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) coalition, which garnered 47.29 per cent votes in the 2018 general election, was reduced to 26.74 per cent. The National Front coalition candidate Wee Jeck Seng- a Malaysian Chinese, won 65.60 per cent of total polled votes. Chinese voters, with 42 per cent of constituency’s voter base, enjoy disproportionate influence due to their tribal voting behaviour.
Malaysian Chinese community, with number nearing 7 million, constitutes around 25 per cent of the country’s population. But, given their entrepreneurial nature, they exert considerable influence in the economy of Malaysia. Chinese community, swayed by Mahathir’s promise to end the ethnic discrimination, voted in huge numbers of Mahathir in the 2018 general election.
The Chinese community has faced discrimination due to ‘Bhumiputra policy’ of Malaysia. Even Mahathir’s previous regime (early 1980s to early 2000s), with Ketuanan Melayu as its core ideology, favoured ethnic Malay community, which constitutes almost 70 per cent of the country’s population.
But, in 2018 general election campaign, Mahathir campaigned on lines of secularism and multilateralism. This time he was candidate for 72-year-old Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan party describes multiculturalism and ethnic secularism among its ideology. Chinese community donated huge money to Mahathir’s campaign, held rallies in his support, and voted for his party’s candidates in large numbers.
This resulted in Mahathir’s unexpected victory. But, in last one and half year, Mahathir government has resorted to the racist concept of Ketuanan Melayu, favouring ethnic Malay community. This angered the ethnic Chinese community and now they have distanced themselves to Mahathir’s ruling coalition.
According to Asia Sentinel, is a web-based Malaysian publication, “Chinese sentiment in Tanjung Piai is not isolated but a pan-nation phenomenon is most emphatically manifested in Chinese audiences bursting out into spontaneous jubilation even when Pakatan Harapan’s crushing defeat was announced by the coalition’s leaders who happened to be guest speakers at various Chinese community functions held in election night all over the country.”
With the Chinese community distancing itself from Mahathir’s ruling coalition, his party would no longer enjoy the hefty donations from Chinese businesses. Given the domination of Chinese community in businesses, Mahathir is going to face huge financial crunch in the upcoming elections.
Under the leadership of 94-year-old Prime Minister of Malaysia- Mahathir Bin Mohamad, the country is suffering one setback after another. Riding on the resentment against corrupt regime of previous Prime Minister Najib Rajak, Mahathir registered an unexpected victory and became prime minister of Malaysia in May 2018.
But, since then, Mahathir has taken many wrong moves which have harmed the political economy of Malaysia, as well as its foreign relations. And the latest blow by Chinese community could prove last blow to 94-year-old leader.
