JOHOR BARU: Malaysia: Malaysians began voting on Sunday in an election that could weaken or even end the rule of one of the world’s longest-lived coalitions, which faces a stiff challenge from an opposition pledging to clean up politics and end race-based policies.
Led by former finance minister Anwar Ibrahim, the opposition is aiming to build on startling electoral gains in 2008, when the Barisan Nasional, or National Front, ruling coalition lost its customary two-thirds parliamentary majority.
The result signaled a breakdown in traditional politics as minority ethnic Chinese and ethnic Indians, as well as many majority Malays, rejected the National Front’s brand of race-based patronage that has ensured stability in the Southeast Asian nation but led to corruption and widening inequality.
Hundreds of people lined up outside polling stations across the country, many of them first-time voters concerned about the rising living costs, higher crime and corruption in a government that has been in power for 56 years.
“I would like to see some change,” said Wardina Shafie, a 31-year-old computer engineer after she cast her vote on the outskirts of the Malaysian capital. “I think the opposition has a good chance of taking government. I only worry about voter fraud.”
The campaigning had heated up in recent days with Anwar accusing the coalition of flying up to 40,000 “dubious” voters across the country to vote in close races. The government says it was merely helping voters to return to their hometowns.
Polling will end at 5.00pm (0900 GMT). Officials expect the first results for 222 parliamentary seats and over 500 state seats to start trickling in from 8.00pm onwards.
Opinion polls suggest a tight race that could further reduce the coalition majority, lead the opposition to dispute the result over claims of fraud and spill over to street protests.
Under Prime Minister Najib Razak, the blue-blood son of a former leader, the coalition has tried to win over a growing middle class with social reforms and secure traditional voters with a $2.6 billion deluge of cash handouts to poor families.
He can point to robust growth of 5.6 percent last year as evidence that his Economic Transformation Programme to double incomes by 2020 is bearing fruit, while warning that the untested three-party opposition would spark economic ruin.
“The victor or loser of this 13th general election will not be BN or the opposition PR. It will be Malaysia, its people and our children,” Najib tweeted on Sunday before casting his ballot in central Pahang state.
Najib, who is more popular than his party, has had some success in steadying the ship since he was installed as head of the dominant United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) in 2009.
Formidable advantages such as the coalition’s control of mainstream media, its deep pockets and a skewed electoral system make it the clear favorite.
But a failure to improve on 2008’s performance, when the National Front won 140 seats in the 222-seat parliament, could threaten Najib’s position and his reform programme. (Reuters)