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6. Forced to the Periphery: Recent Chinese Politics in East Malaysia
- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
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109 6 FORCED TO THE PERIPHERY: RECENT CHINESE POLITICS IN EAST MALAYSIA James Chin ThischapterwillchartthedevelopmentofChinesepoliticsintheEast MalaysianstatesofSarawakandSabahinthepastdecade.Ingeneral,Chinese politicsinbothstateshastakenthesametrajectoryasChinesepoliticsinthe peninsula,thatis,thepoliticalmarginalizationofthecommunity,especially inelectoralpolitics.TheonlykeydifferencebetweenChinesepoliticsinthe peninsulaandEastMalaysiaisthecontinuedpre-eminenceoflocal-based Chinesepartiesinbothstates. CONTEMPORARY SARAWAK CHINESE POLITICS ThemostsignificantchangeinChinesepoliticsinSarawakinrecentyears wasthedefeatoftheSarawakUnitedPeople’sParty(SUPP)inthe2006 stateelection.Hitherto,theChinesecommunityhadlargelysupportedthe SUPPagainsttheSarawakDemocraticActionParty(DAP).SUPPwas Sarawak’sfirstpoliticalparty,establishedbytheChinesecommunityin1959 withsignificantDayaksupport.Althoughitstartedoutasaleft-wingparty, from1970onwarditemergedasarightwing,conservative,Chinese-based party.SincethenithaslostmuchofitsDayaksupportalthoughitstill retainssomeDayakmajorityseatsduetotheSarawakBNseatallocation formula.1 06MalaysianChin.indd109 9/29/111:28:10PM 110 James Chin WhiletheSUPPistheonlyChinese-basedpartyintheSarawakBN, themainChineseoppositionistheDAP.TheDAPwasformedinthelate 1970sbyarenegadegroupofSUPPmemberswhoteamedupwithantiestablishment ChinesewhowantedacredibleChinese-basedoppositionparty inSarawak.ThethenSarawakchiefminister,RahmanYakub,alsoencouraged thesettingupoftheDAPinordertoweakentheSUPP.2 Sarawakpoliticsrevolvesaroundthreemajorpoliticalgroupings;the Chinese,theMalay/MelanauMuslims(MMM),andtheDayak3 (NonMuslim Bumiputra[NMB])community.PartiPesakaBumiputeraBersatu (PBB)servesasthemainpoliticalpartyfortheMMM,whiletheNMB spreadtheirsupportamongseveralDayak-basedpartiessuchasthePesaka wingofthePBB,SUPP,PartiKeadilanRakyat(PKR),theSarawakProgressive DemocraticParty(SPDP),andthePartiRakyatSarawak(PRS).Although numericallytheDayaksconstitutethelargestsegmentofthecommunity (about40percent),theyhaveneverbeenunitedpoliticallyandareprone topoliticalmanipulationbytheMMMandtheChineseelite. THE 2006 SARAWAK STATE ELECTIONS ForyearstheSUPPhasbeentakingthelinethattheSarawakChinese communitywas“different”comparedwiththePeninsularChinese,asthe SUPPhad“realpower”.TheSUPPpointstothefactthatSUPPministers were traditionally in charge of two key state ministries: Finance and InfrastructureDevelopment.ThesetwoministriesallowedtheSUPPto channelenoughgovernmentprojectstoSarawakChinesebusinessmenand mitigatesomeofthemoreblatantdiscriminatoryBumiputrapoliciespursued bytheUMNO-ledfederalgovernment. Thedifferenttimingofthefederalandstateelections4 alsoallowed theSUPPtodifferentiatetheissues.AlthoughtheSUPPdidnotsayit openly,theiroperativesgavetheimpressionthatfederalelectionswere “lessimportant”thanstateelections,giventhatmostofthedecisions affectingthelivesofSarawakChineseweremadeinKuchingratherthan KualaLumpur. Thishasmeantthatvotersweretoldthatiftheywereunhappywith theBumiputrapolicy,theyshould“protest”byvotingfortheoppositionat thefederallevelsincethesepolicieswere“federalpolicies”,buttheyshould supporttheSUPPduringstateelectionsgiventhattheSUPP“hasrealpower” atthestatelevel.ManyChinesevotersboughtthisargumentthattheycould haveit“bothways”,thatis,theycouldvotefortheoppositionatfederal electionstovoicetheirunhappinessovertheNewEconomicPolicy(NEP), 06MalaysianChin.indd110 9/29/111:28:10PM [3.138.33.178] Project MUSE (2024-04-26 13:54 GMT) Recent Chinese Politics in East Malaysia 111 whilevotingfortheSUPPatthestatelevelinordertoensurethatChinese interestsweretakencareofatthislevel.5 Inthe2006stateelections,therewasaseachangeamongtheChinese voters.TheyvotedinsixDAPcandidatesinChinese-majorityconstituencies attheexpenseoftheSUPP,whichlostatotalofeightseats.TheSUPP,in essence,lostitsclaimtobethevoiceoftheSarawakChinese.Whatcaused theseachange? Inanutshell,the...