Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews) – Malaysia’s Christian leaders have given the go ahead to an awareness campaign for the Christian community ahead of the early general elections, called by the government for March 8th next.  “Vote wisely, be responsible!”.  This is the banner carried on pamphlets - in English, Mandarin, Tamil and Bahasa Malaysia, the National language – being distributed by the Christian Federation of Malaysia (Cfm) throughout the country.  The pamphlets offer ten points for reflection to Christian voters as they prepare to evaluate formations and candidates.  Among them: the right to freedom of conscience, religion, and speech; environmental protection; and moral and political integrity.

Mons. Paul Tan Chee Ing, bishop of Meleka-Johore and president of Cfm explains to AsiaNews: “We are particularly asking the electorate to give their preference to candidates who are committed to defending the Constitution as the supreme law against the interference of Islamic laws”.  In recent years Christians, about 10 per cent of the population, are faced with increasing difficulties with the authorities; the ban on using certain terms in religious publications; the refusal to recognise conversions from Islam.

Last week Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dismissed both houses of parliament and called for snap elections with the approval of the King.  The legislatures mandate was to have expired in May 2009, but the decision had been muted for some time.  The Premier, however, has given no explanations for the move.  According to some observers it underlines an effort to seek a stronger electoral mandate, before the National economy enters a widely expected down turn with resulting high inflation.

Government critics have denounced that Badawi aims to block the rise of the principal op position candidate, Anwar Ibrahim: his interdiction of public officials for judicial problems, which effectively makes their candidacy impossible, empire in April.  Polls favour the Premier’s formation – the Umno which leads the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition – which is loosing ground however to the opposition.  In his favour, deep seated public dissatisfaction fanned by a hike in the cost of living, rising criminality, violence and the impact of negative employment of foreign low cost labourers as well as accusations of massive discrimination against the ethnic and religious minorities.