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2008 General Elections in Malaysia: Democracy at Work

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2009

ABDUL RASHID MOTEN
ABDUL RASHID MOTEN*
Affiliation:
Professor, Department of Political Science, International Islamic University Malaysiarashidm@iiu.edu.my
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Abstract

The Barisan Nasional (BN) which won a landslide in 2004 was returned to power in 2008 elections with reduced majority and the loss of five state assemblies. Dissatisfied with unfulfilled promises, the electorate protested by voting for a strong opposition. BN additionally was characterized by factionalism. Three opposition parties joined hands and, using alternative media, unexpectedly won 82 seats in the parliament. A strong responsible opposition bodes well for Malaysian democracy.

Type
Research Article
Information
Japanese Journal of Political Science , Volume 10 , Issue 1 , April 2009 , pp. 21 - 42
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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References

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2 The Malaysian political system has been variously labeled as ‘semiauthoritarian’, ‘semi-democratic’ or ‘quasi democratic’. See Crouch, Harold, ‘Malaysia: Neither Authoritarian nor Democratic’, in Hewison, Richard Kevin and Robison, Garry Rodan (eds.), Southeast Asia in the 1990s: Authoritarianism, Democracy and Capitalism (Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 1993)Google Scholar; Diamond, Larry, Linz, Juan J., and Lipset, Seymour Martin (eds.), Democracy in Developing Countries, Volume III: Asia (Boulder: Lynne Riener, 1989), p. xviGoogle Scholar; Zakaria Haji Ahmad, ‘Malaysia: Quasi Democracy in a Divided Society’, in Diamond, Linz, and Lipset (eds.), Democracy in Developing Countries, pp. 347–81; Case, William, Politics in Southeast Asia: Democracy or Less (Richmond, Surrey, England: Curzon Press, 2002)Google Scholar.

3 The deposit money is returned after the election unless the candidate wins less than 1/8th of the votes cast. Additionally, each candidate is required to deposit RM 5,000 for cleaning up banners and posters after the election.

4 See International Herald Tribune, 26 February 2008.

5 The Star, 14 February 2008.

6 International Herald Tribune, 26 February 2008.

7 Anwar Ibrahim has vowed to become a member of parliament through a by-election by asking one of the members of parliament from his party to resign. His wife, Wan Azizah, agreed to vacate her parliamentary seat, if she wins, to make way for her husband. The New Straits Times, 27 February 2008. Wan Azizah did resign and Anwar Ibrahim was elected to the parliament after he won the by-election in Permatan Pauh on 26 August 2008.

8 The Star, 15 February 2008.

9 The New Straits Times, 2 March 2008.

10 Ibid., 5 March 2008.

11 The Star, 5 March 2008.

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13 Ibid.

14 The New Straits Times, 6 March 2008.

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21 Puteri UMNO was created in 1999. Its membership is open to Malay women aged between 18 and 35 years. Its major aim is to gain support from young Malay voters who were perceived to be more inclined toward the opposition.

22 The New Straits Times, 29 February 2008.

23 Ibid., 2 March 2008.

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38 To the Election Commission chairman, ‘this [2008 election] was the best election ever and it had the least number of problems. The election was conducted smoothly and it was very transparent’. New Straits Times, 1 May 2008.

39 The Economist, 10 March 2008.

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42 Ibid., 7 April 2008.

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47 The Star, 9 March 2008; Lorien Holland, ‘MALAYSIA: Political Tsunami’, Newsweek, 10 March 2008.

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51 Quoted in Lorien Holland, ‘MALAYSIA: Political Tsunami’.

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