Opinion | How Malaysia’s democratic disruption stands apart in a year of populist nationalism

Anwar Ibrahim says the stunning end to Barisan Nasional’s decades-long grip on power came about through collaboration across various groups and signals a move towards genuine meritocracy and inclusive growth

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Published: 10:00am, 13 Dec 2018Updated: 10:02am, 13 Dec 2018

It is perhaps indicative of our times that the peaceful transition of power by means of a democratic election is a candidate for “Disruption of the Year.” The outcome of the Malaysian general election in May was the hopeful outlier to a global trend towards populist nationalism, engineered through fear of refugees, migrants, and the “other”.

Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country where democratic values and collaboration between all groups made change possible. The electoral disruption was hardly what the world expected or what the pundits predicted, so we would do well to take careful note of what Malaysia’s voters cast their ballots to achieve.

For starters, Malaysians voted to end the rule of a coalition, the Barisan Nasional (BN), dominated by the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), which had been in power since the country gained its independence from Britain in 1957. With the demise of BN came an end to the hegemony of communal race-based politics. Moreover, voters rejected a system of governance that was operating as a conduit for transferring public goods and opportunities to private individuals and groups.

Under the previous system, the government had become an omnipresent factor in business and all aspects of social development. In return for what it gave through transfers, it expected unflinching electoral support, regardless of the circumstances or the competence of its candidates. Electoral feudalism was essentially the Malaysian way for the long decades of Umno rule: voters were tied to their political masters.

A protester holds a placard with a caricature depicting then Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak during a mass rally calling for Razak’s resignation, in Kuala Lumpur, on November 19, 2016. Photo: AFP

The great disruption of May 2018 was driven by popular revulsion at the flagrant corruption that had become endemic in Malaysian governance. The figures are staggering. Untold billions have disappeared from the public purse through the scandal at the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) fund and nefarious spending practices across government ministries.