Old Politics versus New Politics: The Dynamics of Malay Politics in the Johor State Election 2022

ABSTRACT

The Johor State Election, held on March 12, 2022, was the fourth in a series of state elections since the General Election of 2018 in Malaysia after Sabah, Melaka, and Sarawak. For Johor, its 2022 state election highlighted a new interesting development in Malay politics. Before, neo-feudalism marked Johor's political identity for a very long time based on the historical-sentimental values tied between the Johor State and the Malay-based UMNO party. Such historical sentimental values had enabled UMNO and the Barisan Nasional (BN) to forge a political hegemony such that Johor has been labeled as UMNO's 'permanent deposit ' area. However, current factors underlying the recent Johor State Election - which included dominating economic issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and the political crisis that has been argued to threaten national stability - are becoming significant "game changers " that may create a shifting character in Malay politics in Johor and generally in Malaysia. This study analyzes the dynamics of Malay politics in the Johor 2022 State Election through the continuity of the old politics and new politics based on the political rivalry between UMNO and alternative Malay political parties like BERSATU and PN. This study uses the qualitative case-study method utilizing primary and secondary data obtained from general and field observations, interviews, and archival research. Results show that the Johor 2022 State Election revealed shifting dynamics in Malay politics through the political narratives articulated by UMNO and BERSATU. Both parties brought up progressive issues that are more synonymous with the Pakatan Harapan (PH), the previously ruling but has since become opposition coalition - issues such as good governance, democratization, integrity, and transparency. Notwithstanding that, this study also finds old political narratives lingering to some degree, perhaps meant to satisfy the significant segment of Malay voters for these two Malay conservative parties. Among the lingering old issues were the political narratives of gratitude, development, and neo-feudalism. Finally, this study also found that the contest between UMNO and BERSATU in Malay - majority areas demonstrates the existence of an old political dynamic, which is argued to pave the way to a more competitive democracy rather than the dominance of one party.