Malay disunity good for Sabah, Sarawak, say analysts

James Chin believes a strong Malay political bloc could put the two East Malaysian states at a disadvantage, while Awang Azman Pawi says fragmentation could strengthen their hand in federal decision-making.

University of Tasmania’s James Chin said a stronger Malay political bloc could make it harder for Sabah and Sarawak to secure concessions from Putrajaya, particularly those promised under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

“In fact, they don’t want Malay political unity because if the Malays get too strong in Peninsular Malaysia, they’re likely to bully Sabah and Sarawak,” he told FMT.

“History has shown us that when the Malays are united under the ruling party, they tend to ignore what Sabah and Sarawak want.”

For Universiti Malaya’s Awang Azman Pawi, Sabah and Sarawak’s main concern was political stability in the peninsula because it had a direct impact on the stability of the federal government.

Their concern was also whether Putrajaya could respect MA63, strengthen state autonomy, accelerate development and fulfil previously agreed commitments, he said.

“What is more worrying is if the division results in government instability, frequent changes in policy and a failure to implement decisions related to the interests of Sabah and Sarawak,” Awang Azman said.

The analysts were commenting on Umno vice-president Khaled Nordin’s remarks that Malay political disunity could erode the confidence of Sabah and Sarawak leaders in the ability of West Malaysian leaders to govern the country.

Khaled had said such fragmentation could lead leaders in Sabah and Sarawak to question whether West Malaysians should continue to be entrusted with leading the country.

At the same time, Awang Azman acknowledged that political fragmentation could work to Sabah and Sarawak’s advantage by making their support more important in determining who could form the federal government.

“If no bloc is able to secure a strong majority, the support of parties from East Malaysia becomes increasingly important,” he said.

However, Awang Azman said greater bargaining power would only be meaningful if it was accompanied by government stability.

Prolonged instability could instead affect development, investment and policy implementation in the two states, he added.