'Green wave' not the people's dissatisfactory voice - Analyst

SHAH ALAM - It is difficult to make a general conclusion that the green wave is the voice of the majority of people who are dissatisfied with the leaders of the current government.

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) political analyst Professor Sivamurugan Pandian said that the use of 'green wave' term was instead linked to a voting pattern among Malay voters who supported Perikatan Nasional (PN).

"That's why it's called the green wave by Pas; to make a general conclusion as if the phrase represents the majority's discontent (the people). I think it is difficult for us to define it since the non-Malays are still with Pakatan Harapan (PH).

"Perhaps, there are some who are still dissatisfied, but this green wave is linked to a voting pattern among the Malays where there is supposedly a significant barrier where the non-Malays still support PH while the Malays still support PN," he told Sinar Harian.

On Wednesday, former Umno Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin insisted that the people's support for PN was not due to religious and ethnic factors, but actually due to the current instability of the country.

According to Sivamurugan, the term 'green wave' referred to the people's support for PN was perceived by some with a negative connotation.

He said the word is filled with an implicit meaning reflecting a sense of extremist propaganda.

In the meantime, Sivamurugan said that the act of labelling Pas extremist was inappropriate since the party had proposed many changes in terms of its structure such as 'Pas for all' and 'Pas welfare country'.

He said Pas also tried to bring moderate values in the aspect of highlighting Islam in the party itself.

"Branding, labelling or stereotyping in politics is important to manage electorate perception crisis.

"So those who support would of course say that they are not extreme and those who don't would try to relate the term to Pas," he said.