Ibrahim Suffian, who heads the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research, told FMT he believed Pakatan was in sore need of support from a strong Islamist party to buffer it against any perception that it had no concern for Muslim interests.
He said it was PAS’s presence in Pakatan Rakyat that cushioned the now defunct coalition against criticism for its support for non-Muslim use of “Allah” as God’s name.
In 2013, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, taking his cue from PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, said Pakatan was firm in its decision that non-Muslims were allowed to use “Allah”.
“But now,” Ibrahim said, “it’s going to be very difficult for PH without a strong Malay Muslim party as a partner because Islam is an important part of Malay identity.”
Referring to recent instances of religious policing as well as the news about a laundry business’s refusal to entertain non-Muslim customers, he said these were “blips in a series of many things” pointing to the keenness of Muslims to assert their identity.
He also said Umno appeared to be using identity politics “as a way of shifting the debate” from such issues as the cost of living.
“Barisan Nasional is not counting on the non-Malay votes,” he added.