Back in the day or rather sometime ago, the elders in the Malay community cleverly coined several phrases or “formulas” if you like, to make things easy for them. Obviously the “formulas” worked to their favor.

One good example would be this. Picture an old man who is at wits and stretched to the limits to “control” his energetic five-year-old son. The man simply cannot keep up with all the running his son is doing. The man can’t be chasing the son round as at his age he tires easily.

But then to just let the boy run and wander all over the place, what more far from home, is a big no no. He needs to put the boy “on a leash” so that he does not have to run and chase.

Hence this clever idea. He brings in the bogeyman narrative.

A bogeyman, as we know, is an imaginary evil spirit or being. He uses the bogeyman to frighten the kid, saying, “If you go far from home, the bogeyman will get you.”

Frightened, the boy stays put. He will not run far. The old man doesn’t have to chase anymore. No more panting and trying to catch his breath in keeping pace with the boy. His son is within eyesight. The son is at his side always, all the time. Clever right?

That was the “tactic” used over and over again, I was told, with much success. And you know it is still being used till this day, especially when the elections are around the corner, like now when GE15 is fast approaching.

The “tactic” is however not used by old men trying to catch their kids running around. It is being used by politicians to ensure support and bag votes. Politicians would use this “tested” formula over and over again.

Like the children afraid of the bogeyman they have not actually seen, the Malays are “conditioned” to be scared of the bogeyman. And like the old man of the past, the fear-mongers always win.

What they do is simple. Bring in the bogeyman element. Just tell the rakyat, in particular the Malays, that their race is under threat. Their religion will vanish. The special privileges enjoyed all along will be lost. They will lose everything in their own motherland.

Why? Because parties of the “other” race would “demolish” them if they to come to power. So they say, or allege.

How to stop the onslaught? “ Just support us, make sure we rule and we will make sure you will be well taken care of and protected from the enemy. We are the defenders of the Malays and Islam. Without us you’re finished.”

Most if not all time the threat of the bogeyman works. Like the children who are afraid of the bogeyman they have not actually seen, the people (read Malays) are “conditioned” to be scared of the bogeyman. And like the old man of the past, the fear-mongers win. Sad but true!

In Malay, bogeyman is “momok.” National Laureate Datuk Samad Said said in 2014 it was time for the Malays to stop being obsessed with so-called threats, be they in the forms of “momok, hantu, jembalang” (bogeyman, ghosts or spirits.)

Unfortunately, such good advice is not or has not been heeded.

And as said earlier, using imaginary threats of race and religion as the bogeyman is very much in the political narrative now.

It was used before the dissolution of Parliament, on nomination day (at some areas) and expect it to pick up fast and furious on days leading to Nov 19.

As well-known political commentator Dr. Agus Mohamad sees it, the “willingness” of politicians in using race and religion as “trading tools” during every election time is a crying shame.

Such a ploy will end effort to create a great Malaysian nation when the very same politicians themselves are the ones who keep on promising to ensure harmony among people of all races.

The politicians Agus was referring to do not give two hoots to all that. Creating racial and religious issues and then exploiting it is a short cut to gain support in particularly at the ballot boxes.

When people believe they and their religions are under threat (never mind if it’s not true), support will be given to those who claim (and the rakyat believe also) to be the ones to end the threats. In short, support will be obtained easily.

So they play the game, although GE15 issues are the high cost of living, inflation, spiraling food prices, shortage of essential supplies, the shrinking ringgit.

In a nutshell, it’s about the economy. Bread and butter issue. Not imaginary or make believe threats played to the hilt.

To Agus, it’s time for the rakyat to vote not based on narrow race and religion sentiments. It’s time, he said, for voters to make their choices based on merit, the characters of the candidates and the credibility of the political parties to build a progressive Malaysia.

“A credible party is one with leaders who are not corrupt, not racist, have the ability to draw the confidence of investors, have ideas, visions and the Malaysian spirit, and can propel the country onto the international stage,” said Agus.

True. But for politicians who for all their life only know how to use the bogeyman tactic and fan race and religion feelings to muster support, they will do what they have been doing.

Hence the question: will such tactic continue to bring success to them?

However, perhaps the all important question is, will the Malays continue to allow themselves to be frightened by the bogeyman?

(Mohsin Abdullah is a veteran journalist and now a freelancer who writes about this, that and everything else.)