Fact-check: Most MPs in new govt are bumiputera Muslim

Since Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim took his oath of office on Nov 24, there have been claims by influential figures that his government is dominated by non-Malays and non-Muslims.

Since Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim took his oath of office on Nov 24, there have been claims by influential figures that his government is dominated by non-Malays and non-Muslims.

This, according to fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin, is a recipe for ethnic unrest, with the opposition bench made up almost entirely of Malay and Muslim MPs.

He said as it is, Malays now view the new government as a “Chinese government”, with almost all Chinese MPs sitting in the Pakatan Harapan-led government.

He also said this shows the government is not a “unity government” but a “polarised government”, which in Bahasa Malaysia he called kerajaan perkauman (racist government).

Similarly, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said the new government is dominated by non-Muslims.

He said this is the reason why Perikatan Nasional (PN) turned down the offer to join the government, also claiming that 80 percent of Malays voted for PN.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang

Hadi also termed the government a “minority government” as a result.

He added that the “non-Muslim” party DAP has more say in a Harapan-led government because the party has more MPs than its partners.

Malaysiakini reviews the ethnic and religious composition of MPs to see if these claims check out...