Why Chinese voted for the BN
by Victor T.

The split in the Chinese vote for the Barisan Alternatif and Barisan Nasional is real, looking at the results for large Chinese majority areas like Kepong, Bukit Bintang and PJ Utara. DAP lost by razor thin margins in Bukit Bintang and PJ Utara but won in 90% Chinese Kepong.

My relatives represent a typical cross-section of the Chinese community. Some are pro-BA, others pro-BN but the majority remain fence sitters. Here is my opinion why BA failed to attract more non-Muslim (especially Chinese) votes:

1. Few Chinese read Harakah. Although a large number of internet users is Chinese, only a tiny handful visit Reformasi websites. FreeMalaysia's (an English language website) comparably lower hits compared to Laman Reformasi and Mahafiraun 2020 is a case in point.

Being a twenty something, everyone in my age group uses the Internet. None of my friends express interest in Reformasi, the mistreatment of Anwar Ibrahim, etc. I surmise Malaysian politics is so racially polarised and with UMNO being a bullyboy, most Chinese treat the Anwar issue as a purely Malay issue, lest Chinese are accused of stirring "racial animosities".

For example, the very recent manifesto by 17 Chinese guilds and societies asking for (among other non-communal aspirations), a repeal of the ISA, amending the Printing Press Act, etc. was condemned by UMNO ultras in dailies as "blackmail" and "potentially inciting racial hatred".

2. Being apolitical, most make up their minds just days before polling. If the Star voter survey was any useful guide, 42% polled were fence-sitters mere days before polling date. BN's intense propaganda blitz in the week prior to polling date cowed the unsure many to support BN with images of rioting, lies of religious extremism and social instability. Although corruption, cronyism, nepotism, tolled highways and greedy privatisations are major grouses, BN is the "devil we know" whilst BA is "an unknown quantity".

3. Lack of contact between PAS and the Chinese. This is an understatement. In all major newspapers and magazines (except Harakah), the image of Islam is almost always associated with the Taliban form of Islamic rule - which is unacceptable. Never mind PAS's form of benevolent and benign administration and its claims of a large and growing number of young professionals and mainly moderates as members.

Very few Chinese visit Kelantan or originate from there - noting Kelantan is more than 90% Malay. Even fewer have dealings with Kelantanese public officials. With considerably less Federal grants and slander emanating from BN controlled media, ethnic Chinese capital and interaction become discouraged from entering Kelantan.

4. Due to its weaker and considerably stretched campaign machinery including a dearth of Chinese speaking PAS members (noting many Chinese community elders are not fluent in Malay), ceramahs with PAS speakers in Chinese areas being few and not well publicised, PAS and keADILan's weak reach-out to the non-Malays was to become DAP, PRM and keADILan's achille's heel in mixed race or Chinese constituencies.

BN capitalised on PAS' weak contact with the non-Malay communities (and DAP's embryonic alliance with this "unknown quantity") to the hilt.

5. Curb on circulation of The Rocket. As such, DAP has lost a very important avenue to voice party policies and direction to Chinese voters. Back in the early 80s, The Rocket is akin to what Harakah is today for the Malay community. However, oppressive measures following Operation Lalang in 1987 saw the near complete demise of The Rocket and made the formerly liberal Star a sycophant mouthpiece. DAP's deteriorating popularity from 1990 may, in addition to economic euphoria, be attributed to curb on The Rocket.

6. Lack of coverage from foreign media on PAS. The main issue focused was Anwar, someone who most Malays identify with and, the economic malaise. In short, news that sells.

Nothing was mentioned of PAS's party policies and direction.

As mentioned, non-Malays are generally reluctant to take sides on the Anwar issue, only a tiny number read Harakah or visit reformasi websites - with most relying on Star, Sun, and Nanyang Siangpau for information. Controlled by pro-BN business interests, the information bombarded at readers is predictably lopsided and pro-BN.

Chandra Muzaffar, Ezam, Karpal Singh, Lim Kit Siang and Zainur Zakaria who were dashed by wafer thin losses would have won hands-down, with more seats wrested by PBS and more BN fat-cats like Najib Razak trounced badly had it not been the 680,000 eligible but de-registered voters, tampering of postal votes, vote buying and allowing scores of illegal immigrants to vote.

If the general election were held in early 2000, when BA touches more young non-muslim voters to become pro-active in national issues and assuming those 680,000 (myself included) are by then included in the database, the outcome would have been vastly different. I do not believe the infighting within DAP was the reason for its setback (noting MDP candidates - all formerly from DAP secured less than an eighth in any given constituency's votes).

There is hope in the BA coalition. It needs to pay closer attention to the non-Muslim voters. Allay all their fears. Even assuming BN again shifts the goal post, united we stand, with PAS proving its mettle in Terengganu now, BN can and will be defeated in five years.