Perkembangan Politik Malaysia Pasca PRU-12: Satu Tinjauan Menerusi Perspektif Etnosentrisme (Malaysia’s Political Development in the Post GE-12: A Review from Ethnocentrism Perspectives)

Abstract

Kedinamikan politik Malaysia terserlah setiap kali menjelang musim pilihan raya. Kerencaman latar belakang masyarakat Malaysia menjadikan persaingan politik yang berasaskan garis perkauman, identiti, kelompok etnisiti dan agama yang bersifat ekstrem semakin popular dalam kalangan elit dan pendokong parti politik. Hal ini berlarutan ketika PRU-12 sehingga ke PRU-14, di mana perspektif etnosentrisme telah meningkat secara dramatik dengan setiap isu dan perkara yang berlaku di peringkat setempat mahupun nasional dijadikan hujah politik berlandaskan justifikasi perkauman dan agama. Perkembangan media sosial secara tidak langsung turut memainkan peranan signifikan dalam menyebar luas elemen entnosentrisme di Malaysia. Kajian ini menganalisis perkembangan politik etnosentrisme di Malaysia secara kualitatif menerusi analisis dokumen dan pemerhatian tidak langsung dengan mengambil contoh isu dan peristiwa dominan yang berlaku diantara tahun 2008-2018, dan bagaimana ianya mempengaruhi pola pengundian pilihan raya dalam tempoh tersebut. Manipulasi isu penggunaan kalimah Allah, polemik pengiktirafan UEC, tuntutan HINDRAF dan IFC oleh elit politik dilihat telah mempengaruhi sentimen pengundi bukan Melayu, khususnya dari segi pengurangan sokongan terhadap Barisan Nasional yang memiliki parti-parti komponen berasaskan kaum. Politik etnosentrisme turut mempengaruhi sentimen pengundi Melayu di mana sokongan terhadap UMNO dan PAS selaku parti politik berasaskan ekslusiviti kelompok Melayu Islam dilihat tidak mengalami perubahan ketara malah semakin kukuh bagi ketiga-tiga siri PRU-12, 13 dan 14 sekaligus mengekalkan status quo parti-parti tersebut sebagai parti teras Melayu-Islam di Malaysia. Kajian ini menyimpulkan bahawa politik etnosentrisme sukar digugat di Malaysia, selagi mana isu-isu berasaskan kaum dan agama menjadi ‘propaganda’ kempen politik dan ianya memberi kesan terhadap kesepaduan antara kaum untuk jangka masa panjang.  

Kata kunci: Etnosentrisme, politik Malaysia, sentimen, pengaruh, pasca PRU-12,

Abstract

The dynamics of Malaysian politics was evident prior to every election seasons. The complexity of Malaysians’ background has created extreme political competition that is centered around racial lines, identity, ethnicity and religious groups. During GE-12 to GE-14, ethnocentrism perspectives dramatically increased with every local and national isues were politically argued based on racial and religious justification. The development of social media also indirectly played a significant role in disseminating the perspectives of ethnocentrism. This study qualitatively examines the development of ethnocentrism politics in Malaysia through document analysis and indirect observations, based on the examples of selected dominant issues and events that occurred between 2008-2018, and how they affected voting pattern in each elections during that period. Among the issues, the manipulation involved the use of Allah (word), the polemics of UEC recognition, the HINDRAF and IFC demands seem to influenced the sentiment of non-Malay voters, specifically in terms of declining support for Barisan Nasional and its race-based component parties. Political ethnocentrism also influenced the Malay voters in which support for UMNO and PAS did not change significantly, and even firmed for the past GE-12, 13 and 14, as well as maintained these parties’ status quo as the core parties for the Malays and Muslims in Malaysia. This study concludes that as long as racial and religion based issues serve the ‘propaganda’ for party campaigns, the politics of ethnocentrism will remain unbreakable and impact the long term prospect for inter-racial unity in Malaysia.

Keywords: Ethnocentrism, Malaysian politics, sentiment, influence, post GE-12