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PETALING JAYA: Umno Vice President Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (pix) signs of a more inclusive approach is seen as a positive step, not just for the party but for the entire country.
In what is seen as a departure from his usual stance, he said that the variety of cultures and beliefs that exist should be celebrated as Malaysia is a multicultural society.
On Wednesday, he called on Umno to learn from past mistakes and rebuild the party’s strength by sticking together to face an increasingly challenging political landscape ahead of the 15 general elections.
Dr. Awang Azman Awang Pawi, a political analyst at the University of Malaya, said Sun that Ismail Sabri’s position towards unity and the call to avoid political discord is to ensure that the party strengthens its internal ties.
“This is because there are efforts by certain parties to try to break Umno, which makes it weak,” he said yesterday.
He noted that parties like PKR have long taken an inclusive approach to unity and have focused on it to strengthen the party and offer a consensus narrative.
“Other parties must participate in promoting healthy policies and be able to strengthen the unity of all,” said Awang Azman.
Dr Jeniri Amir, Principal Investigator of the Malaysian Teachers Council, believes this is a pragmatic approach to ensure that Umno is viewed positively, as well as the way forward for Malaysia.
“Unity among various ethnic groups is paramount to move forward and it is important that political parties gain the support of various ethnic groups,” he said.
Jeniri suggested that political parties not focus on a particular ethnic group because our country is not built as such.
“This is the way to go, there are no two ways to do it, as one ethnic group cannot control the country.”
Umno needs to move to the middle to secure support in the upcoming elections, he added.
Jeniri said that Umno has learned from his mistakes and is becoming more pragmatic in his approach, which is necessary in a multi-ethnic country like Malaysia.
“Other parties have no choice but to follow this approach to remain relevant,” he said.
Meanwhile, another political scientist believes that taking a moderate position is different from promoting racial unity.
Dr. Wong Chin Huat said that political unity is incompatible with a multi-party democracy, as what the country needs is healthy division and competition, where parties compete for who has the best ideas and who is most capable.
“In a healthy competition for ideas and policies, the party wins, the people win.
“In the toxic competition over ethnicity and religion, whoever wins the game, the people lose,” he said.
He added that even if Umno’s rejection of a community approach is superficial or merely temporary, it is still positive as it reduces differences and legitimizes diversity.
“Before the Sheraton movement, parties like Umno and PAS took a hard-line position on ethnic issues to discredit the previous government and secure its Malay nationalist base,” Wong said.
But now, with Umno facing Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and possibly PAS, Wong believes that going harder would be more costly than rewarding.
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