Churning political storms collide: what will prove decisive in Malaysia’s election?

The youth want to upend the vote, loyalists are determined to help candidates hold their ground despite scandals, and pragmatists take a cold, hard look at the economy for guidance

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Malaysia's former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, centre, displays the opposition manifesto placard during a political opposition alliance event in Shah Alam. Photo: AP

Published: 4:15pm, 12 Mar 2018Updated: 9:39pm, 12 Mar 2018

Scholars are finding it harder to predict what is next for Malaysian politics. The once familiar script for political change, employed since 1998 when Anwar Ibrahim was ousted from the ruling regime – institutional failure, corruption, cronyism, abuse of the judiciary – got stood on its head when the man claimed by the opposition to be responsible for the many wrongs in Malaysia’s politics, Mahathir Mohammed, became head of the oppositional alliance, the Pakatan Harapan (PH).

At 92, does Mahathir have enough left in him to defeat Najib?

Given the confusing political climate, on what basis will Malaysians vote in the coming general election? There are several permutations but voters could largely follow three broad considerations.

Spoil my vote

The current confusion has led many, particularly young voters, to retaliate against mainstream politics. A growing movement is urging people to purposely invalidate their votes by spoiling ballot papers. Growing campaigns such as #undiRosak (spoilt votes) and #ProtesPRU (#GEProtest) are worrying political parties. They are headed by disgruntled youths, many born in the 1990s, who grew up exposed to a heavy dose of oppositional politics when organised protests were commonplace.

Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, left, and Wan Azizah, president of the People’s Justice Party, pray in Shah Alam, near Kuala Lumpur. Photo: EPA

Unhappy to have Mahathir as the only choice on the side of the opposition, coupled with recent revelations of less-than-perfect performances in opposition-led states in Selangor and Penang, youth voters have only grown more disillusioned, tired of political rhetoric and theatrics. In their eyes, leaders from both sides of the political divide have lost the moral authority to lead.

Politics is personal

Another block of voters are willing to cross party lines to vote for someone they relate to primarily on ethnic or religious grounds.

For many years, political reform in Malaysia has centred around one man, Anwar Ibrahim, leader of the opposition between 2008 and 2015. His bruised eye suffered during an arrest in 1998 has been a symbol of mass mobilisation. It is this personification of Anwar as a political victim that was instrumental in the opposition clinching victories in the 2008 and 2013 general elections.

Anwar Ibrahim was the leader of Malaysia’s political opposition from 2008 to 2015. Photo: Reuters

Mahathir is also taking a leaf out of Anwar’s book. He is using his record of 22 years as prime minister to woo largely rural, Malay and older voters. For those who have spent their working years under Mahathir’s rule – especially retired civil servants – there is still a deep sense of gratitude for the man who turned Malaysia into one of the world’s most vibrant economies.

But Mahathir is not the only big personality in politics. Wan Saiful Wan Jan, the chief executive officer of Malaysia’s think tank Ideas, and Maria Chin Abdullah, the chairwoman of Bersih, a pro-democracy movement, have taken off their non-partisan hats and joined oppositional politics. With them on board, the PH is hoping that voters could be convinced to choose the opposition camp.