SELANGOR : Malaysia's richest and most developed state - which is now under opposition control, is bracing itself for more changes.
But the coalition state government said it will move at a pace that is manageable for the electorate, amid growing concerns among the Malay population that their rights are being eroded.
For most Malaysians, the Petronas Twin Towers are a source of national pride and a symbol of the country's economic progress. But in Selangor, not all Malaysians are reaping the rewards.
"There is of course this economic marginalisation of the Indian community that has been on going for quite some time, but it came to a climax when the last level of security was breached by the Selangor state government. Just one week before Deepavali when the Kampong Java temple was demolished. And for the Hindus,... religion is a very sensitive matter," said Professor KS Nathan, Deputy Director of the Institute of Occidental Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
Insensitive temple demolition and economic deprivation fuelling Indian anger, which cost the ruling Barisan Nasional government the Indian vote.
During the last election, the Barisan Nasional lost the state to the opposition after garnering only 20 of the 56 state seats.
Riding on the strong support of the non-Malay electorate, the coalition parties of Keadilan, DAP and PAS took the jewel in the crown - Selangor. But the coalition government knows full well the road ahead is paved with challenges.
After decades of waiting, non-Malay Malaysians are now anxiously asking - how soon before they can get access to business licenses, scholarships and university places.
"Things like business licences and infrastructure projects, we have a certain power at the local level. The second thing is we have to move at a pace that is manageable for the electorate. We have to bear in mind that Malays are now feeling very unsettled," explained Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Political Secretary to the PKR Chief Minister, Selangor State Assemblyman.
On the national level, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) - the bedrock of Malaysia's ruling coalition - secured only 79 parliamentary seats, a huge drop from the 110 in the 2004 general elections.
This got the Malay population worried, questioning if their personal rights will be eroded if the opposition dismantles the New Economic Policy - an affirmative action programme for Malays. But Keadilan leaders said they are pursuing the multi-racial agenda in a way that Malays can accept.
"Anwar Ibrahim has done very well. He has kept repeating this idea of 'Ketuanan Rakyat' or the people's supremacy instead of Malay supremacy... He has been pushing the boundaries because Ketuanan Rakyat is central to the Malay political consciousness. But Anwar is saying I'm a Malay, I'm a Muslim, and Malay interests will be protected. Article 153 on the special rights of the Malays and Article 152 on the status of the Malay language as a national language - all these things will never be compromised," said Nik Nazmi.
UMNO too has embarked on a re-engineering phase, and has started taking stock of what the Malaysian electorate is saying.
"Certain aspects of the New Economic Policy... are not acceptable anymore by some of the population, be it the Malays, Chinese and Indians. They talked in terms of distribution of economic wealth and some felt they were not being given fair treatment. It maybe an issue of perception or there could be some truth in these kinds of sentiments, and we cannot just set that aside... (We need to) do something about it, to address this problem," said Muhyiddin Yassin, Malaysian Minister for International Trade and Industry, and Vice President of UNMO.
Political commentators said if UMNO is able to make serious policy changes, they might just be able to help the Barisan Nasional regain lost support, which makes the next few months leading up to the UMNO general assembly in December a must-watch event in Malaysian politics.
By Augustine Anthuvan,
Channel NewsAsia
18 May 2008
PEOPLE'S POWER
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