PETALING JAYA: Researchers at Ilham Centre have found a change in the political attitude of rural Malays since former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad joined the opposition, according to the think tank’s executive director, Mohamad Hisomuddin Bakar.

He told FMT it appeared that they were no longer stubbornly loyal to either Umno or PAS and were willing to consider giving their votes to candidates seen as credible, regardless of their party affiliation.

“Malays above 50 in rural areas used to relate to politics through the party,” he said. “They would vote for the party and not the candidate. If a constituency was an Umno or PAS stronghold, it would remain that way over the years unless more youngsters register to vote and opt for the opposition. Even then, the shift would be small.”

Going by this trend, new Malay parties like Amanah and PPBM would not be able to gain significant numbers of votes.

However, according to Hisomuddin, the rural folk are for the first time facing a predicament between supporting a familiar party and a candidate aligned with Mahathir, who is chairman of both PPBM and Pakatan Harapan.

“We see old timers being able to relate to Dr Mahathir,” he said. “He’s a familiar face to them.”

He said the Mahathir factor had made victory uncertain for PAS and Umno, even in rural constituencies they had traditionally won but especially where their victories had been marginal.

With urban Malays, he said, the considerations were different. “In urban areas, it is about who can provide more jobs and more money for the pocket.”

Hisomuddin also commented on the voting pattern of the Chinese, saying it was easy to predict.

“Their support is almost en bloc,” he said. “If the swing is towards DAP, then all would vote for DAP. If it is towards MCA, then all would vote for MCA.”

He said the Chinese would vote for DAP in the coming election, adding that the party’s decision to use PKR’s logo would have no influence on their decision.

As for the voting pattern of the Indians, he said, it was difficult to predict.

He noted that 80% of Indian voters chose the opposition in the 2008 election and that this figure dropped to 50% in 2013. He said analysts at Ilham Centre and other institutions considered the 30% drop to be drastic.

Malaysians go to the polls on May 9. Nearly 15 million are eligible to vote.

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