ISSN 0219-3213 2018 no. 2 Trends in Southeast Asia PARTI PRIBUMI BERSATU MALAYSIA IN JOHOR: NEW PARTY, BIG RESPONSIBILITY WAN SAIFUL WAN JAN TRS2/18s ISBN 978-981-4818-09-4 30 Heng Mui Keng Terrace Singapore 119614 http://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg 9 7 8 9 8 1 4 8 1 8 0 9 4 Trends in Southeast Asia 17-J03213 01 Trends_2018-02.indd 1 8/1/18 9:42 AM The ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute (formerly Institute of Southeast Asian Studies) is an autonomous organization established in 1968. It is a regional centre dedicated to the study of socio-political, security, and economic trends and developments in Southeast Asia and its wider geostrategic and economic environment. The Institute’s research programmes are grouped under Regional Economic Studies (RES), Regional Strategic and Political Studies (RSPS), and Regional Social and Cultural Studies (RSCS). The Institute is also home to the ASEAN Studies Centre (ASC), the Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre (NSC) and the Singapore APEC Study Centre. ISEAS Publishing, an established academic press, has issued more than 2,000 books and journals. It is the largest scholarly publisher of research about Southeast Asia from within the region. ISEAS Publishing works with many other academic and trade publishers and distributors to disseminate important research and analyses from and about Southeast Asia to the rest of the world. 17-J03213 01 Trends_2018-02.indd 2 8/1/18 9:42 AM 2018 no. 2 Trends in Southeast Asia PARTI PRIBUMI BERSATU MALAYSIA IN JOHOR: NEW PARTY, BIG RESPONSIBILITY WAN SAIFUL WAN JAN 17-J03213 01 Trends_2018-02.indd 3 8/1/18 9:42 AM Published by: ISEAS Publishing 30 Heng Mui Keng Terrace Singapore 119614 [email protected] http://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg © 2018 ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission. The author is wholly responsible for the views expressed in this book which do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. ISEAS Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Wan Saiful Wan Jan. Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia in Johor : New Party, Big Responsibility / by Wan Saiful Wan Jan. (Trends in Southeast Asia Series, 0219-3213 ; TRS2/18) 1. Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia. 2. United Malays National Organisation. 3. Political parties—Malaysia—Johor. 4. Johor—Politics and government. I. Title. II. Series: Trends in Southeast Asia ; TRS 2/18. DS501 I59T no. 2 (2018) January 2018 ISBN 978-981-4818-09-4 (soft cover) ISBN 978-981-4818-10-0 (ebook, PDF) Typeset by Superskill Graphics Pte Ltd Printed in Singapore by Mainland Press Pte Ltd 17-J03213 01 Trends_2018-02.indd 4 8/1/18 9:42 AM FOREWORD The economic, political, strategic and cultural dynamism in Southeast Asia has gained added relevance in recent years with the spectacular rise of giant economies in East and South Asia. This has drawn greater attention to the region and to the enhanced role it now plays in international relations and global economics. The sustained effort made by Southeast Asian nations since 1967 towards a peaceful and gradual integration of their economies has had indubitable success, and perhaps as a consequence of this, most of these countries are undergoing deep political and social changes domestically and are constructing innovative solutions to meet new international challenges. Big Power tensions continue to be played out in the neighbourhood despite the tradition of neutrality exercised by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The Trends in Southeast Asia series acts as a platform for serious analyses by selected authors who are experts in their fields. It is aimed at encouraging policymakers and scholars to contemplate the diversity and dynamism of this exciting region. THE EDITORS Series Chairman: Tan Chin Tiong Series Editor: Ooi Kee Beng Editorial Committee: Su-Ann Oh Daljit Singh Francis E. Hutchinson Benjamin Loh 17-J03213 01 Trends_2018-02.indd 5 8/1/18 9:42 AM 17-J03213 01 Trends_2018-02.indd 6 8/1/18 9:42 AM Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia in Johor: New Party, Big Responsibility By Wan Saiful Wan Jan EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) was officially launched on 14 January 2017, led by prominent personalities including former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, former Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, and former Kedah Chief Minister Mukhriz Mahathir. • Upon establishment, the party immediately announced that they are aiming to win the southern state of Johor in the upcoming general election. Historically, UMNO splinter parties have never been able to threaten UMNO in this state. Since independence, Johor has always been seen as an UMNO bastion. • PPBM has moved quickly to establish themselves in all parliamentary and state constituencies in Johor, however, and it has been rather successful in attracting support from those aged below 35. Their key challenge remains the rural and female voters. • Identity politics is a major hurdle for PPBM. The presence of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) in the Pakatan Harapan coalition — of which PPBM is a member — is a hurdle in attracting Malay support. Among Malay voters, DAP is perceived as a threat to Malay privileges. • At the same time, PPBM leaders in Johor believe that their contribution towards the coalition is not yet fully recognized by their coalition partners who insist that PPBM contests only in constituencies with a large Malay population. Areas with a high percentage of Malay voters are difficult for PPBM to win because UMNO tends to enjoy huge support in such constituencies, and PPBM leaders argue that they deserve more mixed seats to run in as well. 17-J03213 01 Trends_2018-02.indd 7 8/1/18 9:42 AM • Winning Johor, or some other state, is crucial for PPBM. Should the coalition fail to win at the federal level, PPBM will need a base to avoid disintegration. 17-J03213 01 Trends_2018-02.indd 8 8/1/18 9:42 AM Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia in Johor: New Party, Big Responsibility By Wan Saiful Wan Jan1 1. INTRODUCTION On 9 September 2016 the Malaysian Registrar of Societies (RoS) gave approval for the establishment of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), following the splintering of the main party in the country’s ruling coalition, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO). PPBM was then officially launched on 14 January 2017, boasting some of the most famous names in Malaysian politics today as its top leaders. Malaysia’s longest-serving Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was named as Chairman, and former Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin as President. Former Chief Minister of the northern Malaysian state of Kedah, Mukhriz Mahathir, who is Mahathir’s son, was named Deputy President. Right from the start, PPBM projected itself as a party that champions the Malay agenda. This is a position traditionally dominated by UMNO, who has always been able to fend off other contenders.2 PPBM’s Malay agenda also bucks the trend among Malaysian opposition parties who usually prefer to take a more multiracial and multicultural approach. This is a bold strategy, and makes clear that PPBM aims to replace UMNO as the political party for ethnic Malays in Malaysia. Bearing in mind that 1 Wan Saiful Wan Jan is Visiting Senior Fellow at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore, and Chief Executive of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), Malaysia. 2 A notable previous contender was the Parti Melayu Semangat 46 formed in 1988 by former Finance Minister and former Vice-President of UMNO, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. But the party survived for just eight years. Razaleigh dissolved the party and rejoined UMNO in 1996. 1 17-J03213 01 Trends_2018-02.indd 1 8/1/18 9:42 AM UMNO today is led by Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is suffering from various allegations of corruption and whose popularity rating has been very low for many months,3 the establishment of PPBM is a development that cannot be ignored. Soon after the party obtained the RoS approval, Muhyiddin declared that it would work towards wresting the southern state of Johor from the ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional (BN).4 This announcement was not surprising. Johor is after all Muhyiddin’s home ground. Not only is he Member of Parliament for the Johor constituency of Pagoh, he was Chief Minister of the state from 1986 to 1995. Johor is also the birthplace of UMNO and has remained the party’s bastion since 1946, which makes the proclamation by Muhyiddin worth scrutinizing further. Is this a realistic target for the fledgling party? This essay seeks to answer that question. It presents the author’s analysis of media coverage and academic literature on the topic, together with findings from an extensive fieldwork conducted between April and August 2017. During the fieldwork, interviews were conducted with national, state and divisional leaders and activists of PPBM, other parties in the opposition coalition, and UMNO. More time was spent in rural areas with a high proportion of Malay voters because these are the areas where PPBM is expected to focus on. The author also travelled to various parts of rural Johor to interview community leaders and villagers, including in eight FELDA5 settlements, to gauge grassroots reactions to PPBM. Following this introduction, the essay is divided into five sections. Section 2 provides a brief description of Johor’s demography, economy, and political history. Subsequently, it looks into the formation and the 3 Time magazine named Najib as among the five world leaders whose ratings are lower than President Donald Trump <http://time.com/4785127/michael-temer- nicolas-maduro-donald-trump/>.