Asia Times: Malaysians await results of watershed elections



	November 30, 1999	atimes.com

Southeast Asia

Malaysians await results of watershed elections
By Anil Netto

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysians cast their ballots on Monday to decide whether to give Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad a fresh mandate or to give the opposition enough votes to loosen the ruling coalition's grip on parliament.

An hour and a half before polls closed, some 60 percent of the 9.5 million registered voters had turned out to vote at the 17,722 polling centers. The final turnout is expected to exceed 70 percent. The first results were expected to emerge by 8pm on Monday, while the final results should be known by dawn on Tuesday.

All that is certain is that the campaign was the dirtiest in Malaysian history. The use of fake newspapers, sex tapes, ''confessions'', and a campaign of intimidation raised eyebrows and put off many concerned Malaysians.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's ruling Barisan National coalition is seeking to ward off a spirited challenge from a united opposition front, the Barisan Alternatif (BA). Though Mahathir, who faces his toughest electoral challenge, appears confident - the cake for the victory celebration has reportedly been ordered - the opposition is quietly hoping to deny the ruling coalition a commanding two-thirds parliamentary majority.

Most analysts will not predict victory for the opposition, but a shock opposition victory is theoretically possible despite the huge disadvantages faced by the BA. No-one knows how many ethnic Malay voters - who comprise more than half the electorate - will swing away from Mahathir following the ousting of his deputy, Anwar Ibrahim. At most, analysts are willing to predict that the ruling coalition could be beaten in the northern states, the Muslim heartland.

The closely fought campaign ended on a dramatic note as reports emerged that fake copies of the opposition newspaper Harakah had flooded the capital. The bogus copies, much thinner than the originals, carried a string of demoralizing reports for the opposition.

In what was meant to be the final blow against the opposition, the star witness for the prosecution in Anwar's sodomy trial appeared on national television to accuse her brother, Mohamad Azmin, Anwar's former secretary, of amassing wealth through improper means. Azmin, a close Anwar aide now, is contesting a state seat under the National Justice Party (keADILan) banner.

The opposition also said that youths appearing to be ''reformasi'' supporters created a commotion and caused traffic jams in the city. A keADILan official reported a build-up of motor vehicles in a section of the capital by about 100 vehicles decorated with PAS and keADILan flags and stickers.

''We find it very disturbing that even after repeated announcements to the media and through the Internet, such an incident could still take place. We are convinced, beyond any shadow of doubt, that the participants in the convoy were not our party supporters or workers,'' said KeADILan deputy president Chandra Muzaffar.

Meanwhile, a controversy over the fact that 680,000 new voters who had registered in April and May would not be eligible to vote because their registrations would only be fully processed in January, took a new turn on Monday. Oddly, some of these voters were on the rolls after all. ''It seems some of the new voters amongst the 680,000 classified 'not yet registered to vote' have gone to check their names and have found that they are registered after all,'' said an Internet statement attributed to opposition media spokesman Raja Petra.

At a complaint center in Penang run by the independent Malaysian Citizens Election Watch, volunteer Yusri Yusoff said there had been complaints that dead voters were still on the rolls. One voter complained that there were names of unknown people listed at his address.

As in previous elections, polling officials also marked the counterfoil of the ballot papers with the voters' serial number from the electoral list - a move which some say violates the secrecy of the ballot and intimidates some voters.

Malaysians are voting to elect a new parliament and assemblies in 11 of the 13 states. All the state seats are being contested on the peninsula; state elections for Sabah and Sarawak state in north Borneo will be held separately later. Up for grabs are 193 parliamentary seats for which 429 candidates are vying. A further 812 candidates are contesting the 394 state assembly seats.

To win power in Parliament, a party or coalition must win 97 seats to secure a simple majority. The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition is seeking to retain its two thirds majority - 129 seats. In the 1995 general election the BN won a five-sixths majority, bagging 162 seats and sweeping 65 percent of the popular vote.

The 14-party Barisan Nasional, led by the dominant United Malays National Organization of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, is contesting under a single logo.

The opposition BA comprises four parties: the multi-ethnic keADILan of jailed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, the Islamic Party (PAS), the multi-ethnic but Chinese-based Democratic Action Party, and the small Malaysian People's Party (PRM). Each of these parties is contesting under its own banner.

The BA has also forged alliances with regional parties in north Borneo: the State Reform Party (STAR) of Sarawak and the Sabah United Party (PBS).

The opposition is banking on the support of the Malay voters, many of whom are believed to have shifted from BN. But political analyst Charles Santiago says it is wrong to expect that all Malays are casting their lot with the opposition.

''It is not conclusive to say that the Malay support for BN has eroded completely. It is also generational. The people who benefitted from the New Economic Policy will vote for Mahathir. The dissent comes from the young, educated, professional community that wants a say in the running of the country,'' he said.

(Inter Press Service)

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©1999 Asia Times Online Co., Ltd.