Understanding Malaysia’s Pivotal General Election

The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak dismissed the two hundred twenty two positions in parliament in order to make it easier for the country to implement the general election.  Taking part actively in the election campaign has been in a state of extreme excitement for many months and even powerful for the upcoming weeks.

In year 1959, Malaysia had their first vote and the alliance, Barisan Nasional (BN or National Front) had a great influence in the election system that made them won the election without difficulty.

However, the 2008 general election signified a change in the state of mind of the voters. The BN didn’t keep the two-thirds of the parliamentary which had a great number in the national legislature and this led its power to make minor changes in the constitution as well as five of thirteen national elections. The unexpected accomplishment in the vote of the competitor, the alliance of Pakatan Rakyat (PR or People’s Alliance), gave a new strength and vitality to their politics and helped them voiced out their concerns to the present administration.

Both alliances have raised up their election campaigns for what could lead to a vital moment in the history of Malaysia’s election.

Prime Minister Najib Razak is very consistent on his acceptance rating which is above sixty percent. On the other hand, the alliance of BN is very low which has a rating of forty five percent and it is the focus of many accusation of corruption and appointing friends and associates to position in authority without considering their qualifications. It is also expected that the rank of Malaysia in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index is not changing for many years since 1995 until now.

V. Nehru