KUALA LUMPUR: Former Rembau member of parliament Khairy Jamaluddin said failure to address economic issues will cost the unity government support from the Malay community in the upcoming state elections.
In an article written by the sacked Umno leader for Singapore-based portal Fulcrum, Khairy said dissatisfaction among the Malays towards the unity government was not so much due to Perikatan Nasional's "green wave", but the failure of the federal administration to establish a clear economic direction for the country.
The lack of economic direction, he said, was reflected in the weakening of the ringgit and the continuous rise in the cost of living that had affected the people's purchasing power over the past seven months.
"This palpable Malay anger is amplified by the perceived hypocrisy of the present administration, which talks about eradicating corruption and upholding good governance, but accommodates a tainted Umno leadership.
"What we may see at the state polls is less a 'green wave' than a tsunami of discontent," said Khairy, who is visiting senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was not only facing an "almost fatal internal flaw" in Pakatan Harapan, but also a "formidable external threat" in his attempts to solidify support from the Malay community in the upcoming state polls.
"From within his unity government, Anwar has to carry with him the liability that is Umno and its unpopular leader, (Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad) Zahid Hamidi.
"Umno was initially seen as a complement to PH. It was seen as potentially leading the charge into Malay majority strongholds.
"This now looks less likely, as Umno continues to struggle to explain to its members why it is part of a government that includes its long-time ideological bogeyman, DAP."
Externally, Khairy said Anwar faced a formidable foe in the form of PN.
"In parliamentary debates and political rallies, PN has doubled down on rhetoric focusing on the '3Rs' of race, religion and royalty.
"A recent case in point is PN's attack against Anwar's government for dropping a legal appeal against a 2021 High Court ruling, which had allowed the word 'Allah' to be used in Christian religious publications."
Khairy added that the narrative created by PN on social media was also heavily exploiting the uneasiness among Malay voters towards the presence of DAP in the unity government.
"Political parties in the unity government have failed to counter such narratives," he said.