A Selangor under DAP?
With the news now out that an additional eight seats being contested under DAP, we will be looking at a state assembly with this party being in the majority in the near future.
Hafidz Baharom, The Malaysian Insider
As such, can we expect a DAP-run Selangor by the next general election?
Honestly, I personally would not mind such. If anything, it would ensure no more “Langkah” shenanigans by PKR.
Selangor is the sustainable cash cow of Malaysia, contributing a fifth of the national gross domestic product (GDP) and is the most populated state, most urbanised in the federation.
It also has the highest median income in the country outside of Putrajaya.
In the same breath, I would say it is perhaps the weirdest state in form of governance today, where highways can be approved “in principle” and menteri besar can be deposed by someone who does exactly what the predecessor did albeit through two deficit budgets.
All the above being said, we do have some contradictions. Urbanisation unfortunately does not mean the state is more religiously liberal.
In fact, we may have a large population of conservatives, which is why Selangor is known also for the growth of all things Islamic, from food to fashion.
Also, Isma for all its conservative Islamic views is centred in Selangor as well. At the same time, the state is also a hotbed in terms of membership for Perkasa under Datuk Ibrahim Ali.
While it has multiple tertiary education institutes, the largest one in Selangor remains Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), which produces some 51,000 graduates nationwide with two campuses, on undergraduate studies within the state.
A DAP-led state government will be tough to swallow simply because it is seen as a non-Malay party. Quite frankly, having two Malays joining is an event for a press conference kind of exacerbates the situation.
This is perhaps why someone like the now Singapore-based former minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim insisted on the party highlighting what it would do for the Malays. It is good advice, if it wishes to win Selangor and run it.
And the biggest factor in their favour is that their partners in the newly formed Pakatan Harapan are weak.
