PH indirectly benefited from identity politics too, says Kian Ming

Former Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming, on the Keluar Sekejap podcast, questioned whether Pakatan Harapan (PH) had also benefited from racial narratives in previous elections, suggesting it was unfair to attribute the party's defeat in the Negeri Sembilan polls solely to its rivals' use of identity politics. Ong observed that PH had previously appealed to non-Malay voters to unite, similar to how Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) had urged Malays to rally behind them.

He pointed out that when PH's post-election press conference emphasized that they lost due to racial narratives during the Negeri Sembilan election, it demonstrated that the party had indirectly profited from such calls to unite non-Malay voters in the past.

Khairy Jamaluddin, co-host of the podcast, echoed Ong's point, stating that PH had used coded references to the "green wave" to encourage Chinese voters to unite, akin to what BN and PN candidates are now doing with Malay unity to protect Malay interests. While Khairy noted that no one explicitly said these tactics were at the expense of others, he highlighted that the underlying message was similar in both instances.

Shahril Hamdan, another co-host, dismissed claims that BN's campaign lacked policy substance, pointing out that Khairy's speeches and events covered issues such as local councils, assessment rates, job opportunities, and foreign direct investment, albeit with less emphasis. Shahril also acknowledged that identity politics had been a part of Malaysia's political landscape for a long time and that PH should have addressed this in their campaign.

He suggested that if PH did not support identity politics, they should provide a more compelling narrative that convinced Malays to vote based on their performance and commitment to reform promises. However, if PH failed to persuade voters with this approach, they could not be surprised by the continued relevance of identity politics in shaping voter behavior.