Malaysia in 2008: The Elections That Broke the Tiger's Back

Abstract

The March 2008 general elections fundamentally altered Malaysian politics. The ruling coalition lost its two-thirds majority in the national Parliament and five state assemblies, and Prime Minister Abdullah was forced to announce his resignation. The opposition also stands the chance of forming the national government in the near future.

Opposing Power

“…The story starts five years earlier in the 2008 electoral cycle, which occurred in the midst of the global financial crisis. During that time, opposition parties made unexpected, stunning gains even when they did not publicly coordinate their campaigns with each other (Chin and Wong 2009;Singh 2009). The BN lost its two-thirds majority in the 222-seat parliament for the first time.…”

The Hindu Rights Action Force and the Definition of the ‘Indian Community’ in Malaysia

“…Despite the protests, temple demolition continued across the country until 2007 (Noor 2008a). The police violently suppressed the protests and detained five key protest leaders, including P. Uthayakuma, under the Internal Security Act (ISA ) (Singh 2009). Three weeks later, about 20,000 Indians demonstrated in Kuala Lumpur against the five leaders' detention ( Montlake 2008).…”

“…The coalition has long been described as illegal by the government and in press coverage (Yang & Ishak 2012). Its social status was that of an unregistered organization since 2008, when it was banned as a national security threat and a terrorist group (Singh 2009), until March 2013, when a part of the coalition was officially registered and granted status as an organization.…”

Debating the Conduct and Nature of Malaysian Politics: Communalism and New Media Post-March 2008

“…Fought in no small part on the media terrain, the success of Malaysia's multi-ethnic opposition coalition campaign immediately raised hopes that Malaysian politics was witnessing a new dawn defined by a departure from the familiar themes of communalism, ethnic polarisation, patronage and money politics, and emphasis on justice, accountability, and egalitarian democracy. Of particular interest is the fact that the election outcome inspired numerous scholars and pundits to consider the realistic possibility that Malaysia had turned the page on racial and communal politics, and was finally prepared to embrace a pluralist and inclusivist conception of society (Beng, Saravanamuttu, and Lee 2008;Mohamad 2008;Singh 2009;Pepinsky 2009). The objective of this paper is to evaluate the post-March 2008 political terrain in Malaysia in order to answer several fundamental questions that arise as a consequence of the election: Has the nature and conduct of Malaysian politics changed fundamentally since March 2008?…”

“…Most analyses of the 2008 elections indicate that the headway made by the opposition was for the most part more a consequence of protest votes against the ruling coalition than a resounding endorsement for "the alternative in a system of checks and balances" (Singh 2009) or "a viable opposition" (Beng 2008: 22). Nevertheless, the remarkable result has also sparked a debate as to whether the outcome of the elections marked a major shift from a politics of communalism to a "new politics" premised on pluralism and inclusivity.…”