Joseph Chinyong LiowandAriel Tan

Opinion | In Malaysia, what lies beneath the divorce of Umno and Muhyiddin’s Bersatu?

When Umno withdrew support for the ruling Perikatan Nasional coalition and called for the PM to resign, local politics was thrown into greater uncertainty

But a long history of patronage politics, Malay disunity, and withering pluralism needs to be considered to understand this twist

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UMNO, the biggest party in Malaysia, on July 8 pulled its support for the Perikatan Nasional government led by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. Photo: EPA

Joseph Chinyong LiowandAriel Tan

Published: 1:30pm, 24 Jul 2021Updated: 1:30pm, 24 Jul 2021

Saying that Malaysian politics has been turbulent over the past three years is something of an understatement. But on July 8, when the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) – which commands the largest bloc of parliamentary seats in Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Perikatan Nasional government – withdrew its support for the ruling coalition and called for the premier’s resignation, local politics was thrown into even greater uncertainty.

The Muhyiddin administration remains in power, as parliament has been suspended due to the current state of emergency in the country – declared ostensibly for the government to stem the relentless Covid-19 pandemic. It is unclear, however, if that will still be the case once the emergency is lifted, or when parliament convenes from September. Its five-day “special” sitting, which begins on July 26, is not expected to see a vote of confidence for now. What is clear is that Muhyiddin’s government is possibly at the weakest point in its short tenure as he struggles to keep the coalition together.

This recent twist has prompted a deluge of commentary on political opportunism and Machiavellian machinations in Malaysia. But to understand why things unfolded the way they did, and what lies ahead, it is necessary to appreciate the larger systemic, structural, and cultural context behind this month’s events.

Muhyiddin’s government is possibly at the weakest point in its short tenure. Photo: AFP

Intra-Malay politics

The idea of Malay unity is one of the most enduring narratives in Malaysian political discourse. It is also one of the most paradoxical. Cynics would dismiss the clarion call of Malay unity as rhetoric, but there is more to it than that. It is, in fact, a reflection of deep concerns for the reality of disunity.

There are currently four parties vying for the Malay vote: Umno, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS), and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). Even within Malay parties, unity is not a given, as each one of these has experienced factionalism and at least one major split in recent years. Lest we forget, after six decades in power, the Barisan Nasional coalition lost in the 2018 election partly because of a major split in Umno that gave rise to Bersatu.

This in turn explains the poorly concealed discomfort that Umno demonstrated during their short-lived cooperation with Perikatan Nasional. Umno’s list of grievances against Bersatu was long. It had to surrender the premiership despite being the largest party in the coalition, and put up with being led by a party comprised of Umno defectors, while having plum cabinet positions kept from its members.

Moreover, Muhyiddin’s reluctance to come to the rescue of Umno leaders embroiled in ongoing legal cases and appeals – the “court cluster”, as they are called, which includes previous party president Najib Razak and incumbent Ahmad Zahid Hamidi – has further disincentivised the party from continuing with the dalliance.

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