Sanusi’s Bully Pulpit Populism: Boon or Bane?

At the heart of the opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional’s state election campaign is a politician who is adept at grabbing headlines and courting controversies, a man hailed as “God’s gift” to the coalition: Sanusi Md Noor. As a first-term state assemblyman of the suburb town Jeneri in Kedah with little prior executive positions within his party, Sanusi’s rise to mainstream politics has been meteoric. Two years into his term in May 2020, he ascended to the state’s highest executive position as Menteri Besar.

His supporters note that they can relate to him due to his rural background and off-the-cuff, heavily accented speech style. This is notwithstanding his highly controversial policies and remarks. These include gross exaggerations (boasting that Kedah’s rare earth deposits were worth RM43 trillion, way above the real value of RM62 billion), racial insensitivity (linking Indians with alcoholism, suggesting the demolition of Hindu temples and cancelling the Thaipusam public holiday). He had also made inappropriate remarks to racial minorities. In one instance, he reportedly said that “none of the Chinese were asked to be circumcised [in Kedah]”. In another, he was downright tone-deaf. He made an insensitive joke about a Covid-19 corpse being stored in a freezer and laughed off a person’s plea for aid, stating the “fact” that top bribers were non-Muslims.

In short, Sanusi has a penchant for demonstrating levels of insensitivity and crassness on par to a famous and controversial politician in America. Sanusi’s Trump-like qualities of appearing to say things as they are and his willingness to challenge the established order has succeeded in drawing eyeballs. His online videos garner high viewership, including his near-1 million views profile interview on Malaysia’s top podcast, Keluar Sekejap. PN candidates also actively lobby for him to campaign at their seats. Unlike the well-heeled and powerful Trump, however, his supporters may even characterise him as a charter member of the proletariat.

At first glance, Sanusi’s image seems to defy the Islamic brand of his party, Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS). Sanusi recognises this and has stated that he does not fit the traditional mould of PAS that places its spiritual and religious leaders at the highest hierarchy. Unlike many parties, PAS’s highest decision-maker is not the party president, who is only its implementer. The party’s spiritual advisor (or Mursyidul Am in Malay) holds the absolute authority on the party’s most important decisions.

Neither does Sanusi fit the image of professionals that PAS has tried to hone as counterparts (or foils) to PAS’s ulamas (religious scholars) since 2004. The Islamist professionals who used to be led by the likes of Dzulkefly Ahmad, Hatta Ramli, Kamaruddin Jaafar have left to join Pakatan Harapan. This group is now represented by the Menteri Besar of Terengganu, Dr Samsuri Mokhtar, a former aerospace engineer and lecturer, and the political secretary of the President, Syahir Sulaiman, a former private sector accountant and executive.

Perhaps Sanusi is carving out a third dimension that PAS is endeavouring to develop: A no-holds-barred bully pulpit populist who dares to challenge anything and everything without regard for the consequences. As the archetypical politician, he would do anything that makes him popular.

When Sanusi asked the PAS leadership if they were sure of picking him as Kedah’s Menteri Besar given his no-holds-barred style, they assured him that he should “be who you are” without changing a thing. His ascendency to Kedah’s head of government came in 2020, as five state governments changed hands from the infamous Sheraton Move coup. This catapulted PAS into federal government for the first time.

Perhaps Sanusi is carving out a third dimension that PAS is endeavouring to develop: A no-holds-barred bully pulpit populist who dares to challenge anything and everything without regard for the consequences. As the archetypical politician, he would do anything that makes him popular.

Back then, Sanusi had no prior administrative experience in any state or federal government, neither did he possess impressive credentials (a social science graduate from a local university) that could justify his place as Kedah’s chief administrator. But the 2020 Sheraton Move changed PAS’s political strategy, to focus on the pursuit of more state and federal power — including President Hadi Awang’s close alignment with former defectors from the then-Pakatan, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu). The constant elevation of Sanusi notwithstanding his continued controversies — to party election director, and second-highest executive council member, and then the coalition’s election director—makes sense. To PAS, the bully pulpit populist approach is not an inconvenience but the precise intention.

However, this strategy of platforming Sanusi also carries a significant risk for PAS. Sanusi’s campaign speech on 11 July allegedly belittled the Selangor Sultan’s decision to appoint Pakatan’s “useless” Amirudin Shari as the Menteri Besar not only courted the ire of the Malay royal institutions, but also the police’s attention. This led to Sanusi being charged in court. While his previous provocative statements of staking Kedah’s claim to be the sovereign state of Penang and belittling other leaders’ appearance may have stayed in the political realm, Sanusi’s aspersions about the Sultan’s discretion and wisdom could have gone a bridge too far.

This issue was different and may have divided opinions among the Malays due to the perceived slight on the royal institution. Even among PAS, it was not straightforward. The Deputy President Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said Sanusi’s case may increase support to the opposition coalition during the state elections. On the other hand, the spiritual adviser of PAS, Hashim Jasin, has asked Sanusi to moderate his tone during speeches. A PAS parliamentarian has expressed his wish that Sanusi’s criminal case serve as a lesson to all to respect the law.

The backlash might have even spooked Sanusi himself. The police claimed he had ignored their calls and texts. They had to arrest him at 3am to ensure he attended the court hearing the same morning.

For now, PAS and the PN coalition are sticking to their plans of maintaining Sanusi as their election director, despite growing controversy about his administration (including allegations that Sanusi is linked to a fine for the theft of rare earth elements in his state). PN currently holds 20 out of 36 seats in the Kedah state assembly that was dominated by Barisan Nasional in the past. PN’s target is ambitious: To retain the state government with an increased majority, while also gaining control of other states. The results of the Kedah state election will be the first litmus test of whether the Sanusi bully pulpit populist strategy is working in PN’s favour.

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