Ditching ‘Malay first’ stance alone won’t draw non-Malay support, says analyst

Free Malaysia Today

Azmi Hassan says non-Malays are deterred from supporting Perikatan Nasional primarily due to the presence of PAS in the coalition.   Read More:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2025/05/09/ditching-malay-first-stance-alone-wont-draw-non-malay-support-says-analyst   Laporan Lanjut:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2025/05/09/percubaan-muhyiddin-tak-mungkin-tarik-sokongan-bukan-melayu-kata-penganalisis   Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com  Follow FMT on Facebook: https://bit.ly/49JJoo5  Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM  Follow FMT on X: https://bit.ly/48zARSW  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48Cq76h  Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3uKuQFp  Follow FMT Berita on TikTok: https://bit.ly/48vpnQG  Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/42VyzMX  Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/42YytEb  Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/42WrsUj  Follow FMT on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/49GMbxW  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Download FMT News App:  Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46  App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ  Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP   #FMTNews #MuhyiddinYassin #Bersatu #PAS

Transcript

00:00A political analyst has downplayed Perikatan National Chairman Muhyiddin Yassin's attempt to ditch his I am Malay first declaration, saying it was unlikely to boost non-Malay support.

00:12Academy Nusantara's Asmi Hassan said PAS, with its perceived hardline religious views, remains the biggest factor deterring non-Malayas from supporting the opposition coalition.

00:23He also said Muhyiddin's statement was unlikely to water down support for PN as the Malay vote remains largely intact behind PAS.

00:32He said he does not believe Muhyiddin's statement would unsettle PAS leaders as their struggle has always focused on upholding the sanctity of Islam and they have never claimed to be fighting specifically for the Malayites.

00:43OE, son of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, believes Muhyiddin backtracked on his Malay first declaration as part of efforts to revive his political relevance.

00:55He said PASATU had successfully snapped up a handful of Chinese leaders from other parties over the past few months, but questioned whether the move would be successful in wooing the community's support.

01:05He said PASATU realises it cannot match PAS in attracting Malay support or compete with UMNO in distributing resources to the Malays and is trying to break new ground by appealing to non-Malays.

01:18On Sunday, Muhyiddin acknowledged having said I am Malay first in 2010, but claimed that it was no longer important and that he was a Malay who cares for all Malaysians.

01:28Natasha Bust, FMT

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