In this webinar, Datuk P Kamalanathan and Mr Gan Ping Sieu explored Barisan Nasional’s recent decisions, current thinking in the coalition, as well as plans for the future from the perspective of two original members, the Malaysian Chinese Association and the Malaysian Indian Congress.
MALAYSIA STUDIES PROGRAMME WEBINAR
Tuesday, 3 August 2021 – The ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute hosted a webinar titled “Whither Barisan Nasional in Today’s Malaysia?” and invited Datuk P Kamalanathan and Mr Gan Ping Sieu from the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition to participate in the question-and-answer session. Datuk P Kamalanathan is a member of the Central Working Committee of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), while also serving as the Chairman of Labuan Port Authority. He was a former Deputy Minister of Education (2013-2018) and Member of Parliament for Hulu Selangor (2010 to 2018). Mr Gan Ping Sieu is a former Vice-President of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA). He was nominated as a senator in 2010 and served as Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports (2010-2013). He is the Founder and Senior Partner of Gan and Zul Advocates & Solicitors. Dr Francis Hutchinson, Senior Fellow at the Malaysian Studies Programme, moderated the webinar.
The first question concerned political developments in Malaysia since 2018, with Barisan Nasional collaborating with PAS soon after the 2018 General Election (GE2018) and the recent announcement by BN chairman Ahmad Zahid to withdraw support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. Datuk P Kamalanathan argued that Malaysian politics has been extremely fluid in recent years. He commented that the Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance formed prior to GE2018 was a temporary collaboration between diverse parties to defeat the then incumbent BN government. Based on the results, BN would have won the general election had three-cornered fights between BN, PH and the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) not occurred. Consequently, BN is willing to collaborate with PAS given their common status as opposition parties, on the condition that PAS does not violate the rights of ethnic minorities. He further commented that BN remains committed towards protecting the welfare of all Malaysians regardless of their ethnicity. Datuk P Kamalanathan shared that until an executive decision is made among BN top leadership, MIC and BN would continue to support the present PN government.
Mr Gan Ping Sieu agreed that the collaboration between BN and PAS was a product of the prevailing political context. He added that despite the historic rivalry between the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and PAS, the animosity was set aside after GE2018 as UMNO MPs were poached by PH. The collaboration between UMNO and PAS was based on a shared desire to check PH rather than advancing an Islamic agenda. Mr Gan commented that MCA and MIC are secular parties while assuring the audience that MCA would oppose any form of Islamic agenda. He further clarified that the UMNO top leadership has withdrawn support from Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin but remains supportive towards the PN ruling coalition.
The second question raised the relevance of grand coalition as the political climate is increasingly fragmented, and the role of MIC and MCA within this context. Mr Gan Ping Sieu commented that increasing political fragmentation has reduced the viability of a pre-election grand coalition, with the inevitability of post-election coalition building. He added that MCA has set realistic goals in the next general election to consolidate the constituencies which they presently hold while targeting to gain a few more seats. He commented that MCA’s role in BN remains valuable for UMNO since the latter was explicit in eschewing political cooperation with the Democratic Action Party (DAP). In the case of a grand coalition among the Malay parties, MCA would be the sole vehicle to ensure Chinese representation in the ruling government.
Datuk P Kamalanathan commented that a grand coalition is less relevant in the present context as Malaysian politics is undergoing a major transition. However, he argued that a grand coalition may be useful once the political scene in Malaysia becomes more stable. He further explained that MIC, as a vehicle for the interest of Malaysian Indians, has extensive grassroots presence in addition to extensive policy-making expertise. During the tenure of Najib Razak, the MIC has successfully fought to increase the matriculation slots for Malaysian Indians while securing funding for new Tamil vernacular schools to be constructed. In addition, MIC also helped Indian entrepreneurs to access government grants. He argued that despite the extensive promises made prior to GE14, PH has failed to provide tangible benefits for Malaysian Indians such as increasing allocations for Tamil schools or reducing the cost of living and higher education (PTPTN) loans.
Other questions raised in the webinar included internal divisions within UMNO, and the relevance of race-based parties as interests concerning state/regions and age group gain salience. The webinar attached 70 participants from Singapore and abroad.
