How to understand the Chinese voters then? Consider the three-body problem, a classic physics problem that originated from Isaac Newton in the 17th century: One cannot optimise for a stable orbit around all three bodies simultaneously and motion becomes unpredictable.
In Malaysia’s context, the first body is the Vernacularist that mainly cares for preservation: of language, culture and the Chinese way of life.
This includes the highly contentious issues of Unified Examination Certification recognition and vernacular school education. But it also entails alcohol restrictions (at government events, in different states), gambling restrictions, concert restrictions, and worship sites. Controversies like the KK Super Mart’s sale of socks featuring a religious word and a kill-switch to cut short concerts that break guidelines feed into culture wars.
The second body is the Mercantilist that mainly cares for ease of doing business.
It wants lower costs and higher profits, and so concerns itself with wages, raw materials, land and other costs of production, as well as industrial policies (for example in semiconductors, energy transition, data centres), grants and investments. Generally, policies that affect how much people are willing to spend – such as the removal of fuel subsidies, sales and service tax increases, and increase of the minimum wage – will be of importance.
The third body is the Reformist that mainly cares about keeping promises about institutional reforms and eliminating corruption.
This concerns core institutions (parliament, anti-corruption commission, judiciary, oppressive legislations, police) and core principles (separation of powers, fairness, justice). High-profile scandals (Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s legal cases, Chief Justice appointment controversy) and lack of reforms that were manifesto promises will drive them away.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/malaysia-election-chinese-voter-three-body-problem-sabah-5574801
