As Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration swings from one setback to another, his ruling coalition has turned to familiar talking points to regain the support of the country’s ethnic minorities.
In the wake of a devastating defeat in the Sabah state election last month, members of Anwar’s ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition have renewed a push for government recognition of school leaving certificates issued by private Chinese high schools.
The call, however, has driven a wedge between the Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party (DAP) and its Malay nationalist partner, Umno.
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“The Chinese votes have already swung. Ever since they returned to government, the DAP has been struggling to maintain a hold on their vote base,” a PH insider told This Week in Asia, who asked not to be named.
“Now suddenly they are reviving old issues that they have not touched for the last three years, but all that is doing is causing trouble with Umno.”
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The two erstwhile rival parties have for decades sparred over recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate, a highly sensitive issue in a Malay-Muslim majority country with a significant ethnic Chinese minority.