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By Mihar Dias (C) Copyright March 2023
While Anwar is planning on winning hearts and minds of Malays to support PH led government, a senior DAP party man alleges ethnic discrimination against non-Malays in government schools.
It looks like Anwar is fighting on two fronts.
PN Bersatu-PAS coalition clearly has a strong backing of the Malays and obviously, PMX would like to wean them over to his side knowing full well that only a minority of the community is with him.
A day after PN Chairman is charged in court, Anwar mounted a night of prayers entitled, "Selawat dan Munajat" in Kuala Lumpur to get Muslims Malays to support him, in preparation for the forthcoming state elections. At sunset that evening, we saw bus loads of people being ferried to a stadium in Cheras to join in the prayers with PMX at this premier or perdana event.
Also, PH announced that they would pour millions into Islamic schools to train tahfiz students more wordly skills to supplement their ability to memorise the Quran to make them more employable.
This is yet another attempt to woo many Malays who prefer tahfiz or religious schools to secular ones. A move is seen as an attempt to break the stranglehold of PAS on the Malay mindset.
On the other hand, from within PMX's own coalition, the DAP seems to be fueling fire about Malay domination and their discrimination against non Malays. This is a sensitive issue to be raised at a time when PH is trying to woo support from Malays.
Ramasamy the Penang Deputy Chief Minister, claims that hurdles were put in place to make non-Malay students to lose interest in leaning their own mother tongues.
Apparently, Ramasamy is of the opinion that 'difficulties' have been created to hinder the teaching of Tamil and Mandarin under the Pupils' Own Language programme at government schools. His recent opinion was expressed a month after he called for an end to the Malay monopoly in the civil service, urging PMX to reform this government sector, claiming that it is currently dominated by Malays because of policies implemented by former PM, Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
But more importantly, Ramasamy claims that a "covert racial discrimination" hinders prospect of promotions for non-Malays in the public sector.
It looks like PMX's attempt at wooing Malays to support PH-UMNO-DAP coalition is being undermined by one of the coalition's very own senior leaders.
If this "attack" against ethnic discrimination and domination by Malays against others continued unchecked, it would present difficulties for the "unity" government which seems to be pulled apart largely by a senior member of its own major partner.
Perhaps more prayers may be needed. The campaign to "Munajat" might have to be intensified in case the majority Malays lose confidence in the government of the day.
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