Malaysian snap polls test ethnic
loyalties By Baradan Kuppusamy
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian Prime Minister
Abdullah Badawi dissolved parliament on Wednesday,
paving the way for highly anticipated snap
elections that political analysts say will see the
opposition gain ground thanks to voter discontent
over rising prices, crime and ethnic tensions.
The ruling 14-party National Front
coalition government, led by Abdullah's United
Malays National Organization, or UMNO, held over
90% of seats in the 222-member dissolved
Parliament. And while Abdullah is at little risk
of losing power at the polls, the results are
expected to reflect a growing unhappiness by
politically sensitized voters.
Abdullah's
popularity had soared to over 90% in 2004, the
year he won his first mandate on a populist
platform of curbing corruption
and
ensuring government transparency and
accountability. But his popularity has taken a
beating in recent months, sliding down to around
60% in recent polls.
"There are now
multiple voices in society contesting Badawi's
official version [of recent events]," said
political analyst James Wong. "There is the
traditional opposition which has been now joined
by civil society, students, independent
journalists and non-government organizations
[NGOs]."
The changes are reflected in the
fact that a dozen prominent NGO activists with
expertise in water, health and human rights issues
are contesting the election, adding their voices
and giving fresh alternatives to voters. Some of
them are standing as independents, while others
are contesting on the tickets of established
opposition parties.
While the activists
and opposition are not expected to win outright,
their articulation of core issues during the
campaigning - often ignored by the
government-controlled mainstream media - will
likely add a dynamic new dimension to the
political discourse in the runup to the polls,
political analysts say.
Several well-known
activists will contest under the banner of the
Democratic Action Party, or DAP, the country's
largest opposition party. Among them is Charles
Santiago, the coordinator of the Coalition Against
Privatization.
"There are many bread and
butter issues that need to be raised and offered
to the voters as alternatives," said Santiago, an
economist by training. "Given the current
conditions where information flow is controlled
and restricted, we have to make an important
decision and join a political party to articulate
the people's concerns," he said.
Santiago
is also the director of Monitoring Sustainability
of Globalization that had fought tooth and nail to
prevent privatization of water and stop big
business from raising the prices of basic
utilities. "I will bring that experience and
perspective to opposition politics," he said. "We
want to give people more choices and candidates to
choose from."
Another activist who is
supported by civil rights groups, under the
umbrella Civil Society Initiative for
Parliamentary Reform, is Zaitun Kassim, who first
stood in the 1999 general election. "We can't
leave politics to politicians ... it is too
important," Kassim said.
"We campaign on
issues that the mainstream political parties will
not touch, like [the government's use of]
detention without trial, which is a great blight
on democracy," she added. Other issues the civil
rights candidates say they plan to raise on the
hustings are human rights, freedom of media and
freedom of assembly.
"The general election
is the time for NGOs to push the civil society
agenda and make their voice heard," said Yap Swee
Seng, executive director of SUARAM, a prominent
rights NGO. "It is important to give alternative
views to the people not just the one, official
version dished out by the mainstream media," he
said. "The ultimate objective is to ensure a
strong, multi-party opposition that can better
safeguard the constitution and people's interest."
The National Front coalition currently
holds 200 of the 219 seats in Parliament, a
super-majority which was used to rubber stamp
numerous controversial amendments to the
constitution. The main opposition Democratic
Action Party held only 12 seats and the Islamic
PAS party had six.
Opposition icon Anwar
Ibrahim's People's Justice Party held only one
seat, but the party's performance is expected to
improve significantly at the upcoming polls, as it
campaigns on a widespread perception that Abdullah
has failed to deliver on the election promises he
made in 2004.
At the time, Abdullah's
government rode a wave of popular optimism, based
on hopes the soft-spoken politician who took over
from veteran leader Mahathir Mohamad would usher
in a new era of official accountability and social
equality. Now minority Indians and Chinese, who
together represent about 38% of all voters, are
known to be widely disenchanted with Abdullah's
performance in defending the secular constitution
and promoting minority welfare.
Moreover,
the premier has been criticized as weak,
indecisive and unable to make the tough decisions
the country needs to curb corruption, clean up the
government and police force and restore investor
confidence. Those criticisms are believed to have
influenced the government's decision to call snap
polls, notably less than a month before opposition
politician Anwar would be allowed to contest the
elections after a five-year ban on his entering
politics for a corruption conviction expires on
April 14.
Anwar, who maintains his
innocence, was sacked as deputy prime minister and
jailed in 1998 on what many consider trumped up
corruption and sodomy charges. He was freed in
2004 after serving a six-year prison term where he
was beaten and abused by police officials. "The
government's term only expires in May 2009, but
they are rushing into an election to ensure that
Anwar cannot contest," said opposition leader Tian
Chua. "This is unfair and unjust."
Abdullah has admitted that the coalition's
traditionally staunch support from ethnic Indians,
who more recently have accused him of favoring
ethnic Malays in his policies and economically
marginalizing their community, will at the
upcoming polls likely go to the opposition.
"We are making amends for our lapses, we
are helping all races," deputy prime minister
Najib Razak told the local media last month, while
promising a spate of new measures to help Indians
gain access to jobs, scholarships and university
placements. "The Indians are better off staying
with the government than voting opposition."
It's not clear whether the Indian
community will agree, however. Five senior Indian
leaders who organized an anti-government rally on
November 25 have been jailed under draconian
internal security legislation, which allows for
indefinite detention without trial. And it's
unclear if they will be allowed to vote from
prison at the upcoming polls.
(Inter Press
Service with editing by Asia Times
Online)
Head
Office: Unit B, 16/F, Li Dong Building, No. 9 Li Yuen Street East,
Central, Hong Kong Thailand Bureau:
11/13 Petchkasem Road,
Hua Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
