Next Saturday, 21.1 million voters will go to the polls to elect 222 members of the lower house of parliament. While Malaysia’s economy is bouncing back from the pandemic, nationalism, immigration, and interethnic relations between Muslim Malays and others remain key issues.
Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews) – Malaysians are set to go to the polls next Saturday (19 November) to elect the 222 members of the Dewan Rakiat (House of Representatives), the lower house of Malaysia’s federal parliament.
The election could highlight the crisis of the Barisan National (National Front, BN ), an alliance of parties that includes the United Malay National Organization (UMNO), which has dominated the country’s politics since independence.
BN faces two other coalitions: Pakatan Harapan (Hope Alliance, PH) and Perikatan Nasional (National Alliance, PN). The latter is strongly nationalist, dominated by the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Malaysian United Indigenous Party, or simply Bersatu) of former Prime Minister Mohyiddin Yasin.
For once, the traditional ethno-religious, territorial, and ideological divides might play a lesser role between the competing parties.
BN policies have traditionally attracted the support from rural areas, as well as ethnic Muslim Malays, who represent about 62.5 per cent of Malaysia’s 33.5 million people. However, this time, it might lose to more liberal and secular oriented parties.
Voting patterns among ethnic Chinese, Indian and indigenous voters may not be the same as in the past.
Almost certainly, the current competition will be decisive for two figures who have marked Malaysian politics for decades, one always in power and the other as the eternal challenger.
The grand old man of Malaysian politics, 97-year-old Mahathir Mohamad, has served as prime minister several times. In this election, he is running for a party he created this year, Gerakan Tanah Air (Homeland Movement, GTA). His “Agenda for a new Malaysia” aims at ridding the country of corruption, privileges, and abuse of power.
Anwar Ibrahim, 75, heads the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (People's Justice Party, PKR) with a strong base in Kuala Lumpur. He is trying to revive the fortunes of the Pakatan Harapan alliance, to which his party belongs. For years, he faced legal proceedings and spent several years in prison and was banned from political office.
Many fear the impact of the extant political volatility on the country, which has one of the most stable economies in the region with a reliable diplomatic track record.
Malaysia's economy is showing positive signs. Most economic indicators point to a post-pandemic recovery rather than a prolonged crisis as evinced by labour shortages in manufacturing, agriculture, fishing, and construction, this despite a more open door to immigration.
Nevertheless, immigration, nationalism, and relations between native Muslim Malays and other ethnic groups continue to resonate in the country’s political life as they have traditionally shaped how resources, jobs, and welfare are distributed.
Last but not least, the monsoon season has seriously impacted six states in mainland Malaysia causing extensive damage. In many areas, this has forced parties to put their election campaign on hold, with an inevitable impact on the country’s 21.1 million eligible voters.