Melaka election tests Malaysia’s fragile unity government as partners clash

Malaysia’s unity government is facing an increasingly uncomfortable test ahead of the election in Melaka state, with parties governing together in Kuala Lumpur reverting to old rivalries as they compete for votes in a contest that could foreshadow shifting alliances before national polls due over a year from now.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition is under pressure to put on a strong showing in an uphill battle against federal partners Umno, which is widely expected to retain power when Melaka’s voters cast their ballots on November 14.

After two bruising losses to Umno in the recent Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections, PH component parties have all but dropped any pretence of friendly ties as they seek to blunt the political advances of their national coalition partners turned rivals.

Just three days into the Melaka campaign on Monday, the Democratic Action Party (DAP) – PH’s dominant party – came out swinging, challenging candidates from Umno’s ally, the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), to take part in a nationally televised debate.

The challenge came on the same day that DAP member of parliament RSN Rayer accused Umno president and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi of seeking to sabotage the government by claiming that several rural projects were shelved in the politically important states of Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo.

The DAP’s increasingly strident views mark a return of its combative tendencies from its decades-long stint in opposition, which analysts say was expected after Umno drew the line in the sand by forming an informal alliance with the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) in Melaka.

“I think as it becomes clear on the [political] alignments, it actually gives these parties ‘freedom’ to act according to what is natural for them,” said political analyst Syaza Farhana Mohamad Shukri.

“If previously they had to bite their tongue due to the unity government, now they’re going back to their true positions,” added Syaza, an associate professor of political science with the International Islamic University of Malaysia.

Once sworn rivals before the 2022 general election, PH had little choice but to partner Umno after then-king Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah appointed Anwar as prime minister, on condition that he form a unity government.

That truce, however, began unravelling last November when PH was all but wiped out in the Sabah state election as long-time supporters made clear their discontent over the perceived failure of Anwar’s administration to deliver on promised reforms.

Umno was quick to mount a challenge, building a narrative of unity among the country’s Malay-Muslim majority whose interests would be best served by a coalition led by the Malay-nationalist party.

“As GE16 approaches, competition for voters and disagreements over policy will make old rivalries harder to contain,” said Asrul Sani, associate vice-president at strategic advisory firm The Asia Group, referring to the national polls due by February 2028.

With a second term potentially beyond his reach, Anwar will want to do all he can in the time he has left in office to regain the trust of long-time supporters while also slowing Umno’s political advances, according to political analysts.

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But he will need to maintain a functioning administration to do that – a herculean effort given the decades of enmity between his allies in the DAP and Umno, both of which have routinely battled each other along racial lines.

While Umno has positioned itself as the defender of Malay rights and privileges, the Chinese-dominated DAP positions itself as the voice of the economically powerful ethnic Chinese minority.

“The DAP’s objective, whether in Melaka or at the federal level, is to defend its role as the representative of the ethnic Chinese in Malaysia. So naturally it has to position itself as the opposite of Umno,” said Adib Zalkapli, managing director at public policy advisory Viewfinder Global Affairs.

“With Umno and PAS working together, it helps the DAP in amplifying the narrative that the party is the only credible representative of the Chinese community.”