Malaysia election 2022: ‘Pakatan Harapan’s to lose’ or Umno’s route back to power?

Umno’s corruption-tainted Barisan Nasional coalition promises a return to ‘stability’ after what its chairman called 2018’s ‘experiment’ gone awry

But evidence of growing support for Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan could still swing it – as could the ‘unprecedented amount’ of undecided voters

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A policeman stands guard between rival groups of Barisan Nasional (left) and Pakatan Harapan supporters outside a nomination centre in Pahang on nomination day. Photo: Reuters

Hadi Azmiin Kuala Lumpur

Published: 8:30am, 12 Nov 2022

Umno is seeking a return to power in Malaysia this week, four years after being booted out in 2018’s historic general election – and the stakes could not be higher, amid high-profile corruption cases that threaten to decimate the party’s top ranks.

Umno, and the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition that it leads, are leaning on their six decades of experience leading the nation to offer voters “stability and progress” that they say will strengthen the economy and put an end to the persistent political instability of recent years.

“We realise the mistakes we made before and not only do we hope to fix those mistakes, but we are determined to do better,” Umno President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also BN chairman, told a news conference on Tuesday.

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (centre), president of Umno and the Barisan National coalition, called the 2018 election result an ‘experiment’ gone awry. Photo: AP

Ahmad Zahid has called the result of 2018’s vote, which led to Malaysia’s first change of government since independence after voters angered by high living costs and allegations of rampant corruption at the highest levels rejected Umno and its BN coalition, an “experiment” that had gone awry – blaming inept leadership in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration that won power in the polls but held it for just 22 months.

In the political crisis that followed the collapse of the PH government following Mahathir Mohamad’s resignation as prime minister, Umno clawed its way back to prominence. First, as part of a newly formed Malay nationalist coalition administration under Muhyiddin Yassin and later his successor, the party’s own Vice-President Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Malaysia’s king appointed Yaakob as prime minister in August last year after about a dozen Umno MPs withdrew their support from Muhyiddin, forcing him to step down.

For Umno’s critics, its pitch to restore stability and progress if it wins this week’s elections is a mere smokescreen for its top leaders’ alleged true intentions: saving themselves from criminal prosecution.