Mahathir Muhyiddin Reunion Could Pressure Anwar S Coalition On Race Politics Say Analysts

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An alliance of former prime ministers Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin could amplify their claims of championing Malay-Muslims ahead of six state elections, according to analysts.
(MMO)  –This would increase the pressure on the parties in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s national unity government, which was already seen trying to appeal to Malay-Muslims following the swing towards religious conservatism during last year’s 15th general election.
According to Syaza Shukri, assistant professor of political science at International Islamic University Malaysia Dr Mahathir, who lost his deposit after failing to defend his Langkawi seat in GE15, stood to gain the most if he could reconcile with Muhyiddin. “He needs a partner and Muhyiddin is the best for him not just because of the Malay pact but also because they did form Bersatu together. We never really know the full story of Sheraton anyway, as in the actual fallout.
“It is a smart move because they can portray their pact as ‘more Islamic’ since they are basically talking about defending Malay rights, etcetera. The thing is, most Malays do not really understand the Madani concept, which is more on values.
“Most Malays want to “see” Islam in their leaders (the way they dress and speak). In fact I would argue they want to see Islam as special. The Madani concept is partly saying values are shared across religions, which is not an attractive idea to some Malays. Plus, with Pakatan Harapan (PH) working with Barisan Nasional (BN) which is tainted with corruption charges, I think Mahathir supporting PN would be a major challenge for the unity government,” she said when contacted.
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