Description

Malaysia’s 14th General Elections on 9 May 2018 ended six decades of dominant-coalition rule since Malaysia’s independence in 1957. In this ‘Malaysian Tsunami’, the incumbent Barisan Nasional (BN), lost almost half of its seats in the Federal Parliament, control over all but two state governments (Pahang and Perlis, while Sabah remains a matter of dispute). The Pakatan Harapan (PH, or ‘Coalition of Hope’), a new coalition of four political parties led by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, won 47.3% of the popular vote and control over 113 seats in the Federal Parliament. This is just over the 112 seats needed to form a simple majority in Parliament, but PH’s dominance is bolstered by its alliance with Warisan (a party in Sabah) and a few independent candidates. PH further won control over seven state assemblies, while another two state assemblies are now controlled by the Islamic party PAS. This seminar examines factors for the political change and evaluates the significance and impact of the electoral results from various perspectives. Speakers will also highlight some needed constitutional changes, as well as identify difficulties and potential pitfalls in achieving lasting democratic change.