In a bid to increase his party’s chance in the upcoming poll, Prime Minister Najib Razak is courting Chinese voters after this group largely supported the opposition in the previous national election in 2013, reported Asia Times.
Last week, he urged the Chinese to back the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition and pledged to make their lives more prosperous. He also promised to provide equal access to education to all ethnic groups living here.
“If the Chinese voice is stronger in BN, then you are able to shape the policies and possibilities of this government even better and even stronger,” he told a huge crowd.
“Without peace in the country, this group will be the first to be targeted and that is why we are a moderate government committed to peace and mutual harmony.”
The Chinese account for about 23 percent of Malaysia’s total population and most are perceived to be opposed to Najib’s continuing rule that has been tainted by the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB scandal. Another sore point for this group is the persecution of other religious groups and the government’s preferential treatment for Muslim Malays, especially the privileges exclusively granted to Bumiputeras.
In fact, recent research revealed that almost 50 percent of Malaysia’s ethnic Chinese population want to leave Malaysia due to unfair policies, worries over Islamization and political disenfranchisement. This group also made up 88 percent of the 56,576 Malaysians who relinquished their citizenship between 2006 and 2016.
Ironically, while Najib is unpopular with most Chinese here, he welcomes China’s large investments, especially in Malaysia’s real estate sector.
“The closeness with China is an Achilles heel for Najib,” said Mustafa Izzuddin, who works for the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
“While investment coming in will balloon government coffers and boost the economy, the opposition is using the China card to criticize the government for becoming too close to China and accusing it of selling Malaysia’s sovereignty.”
Image sourced from Financial Times
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