Musings on Malaysia’s Political Tsunami
Jaina Chandwany
Four years after Monash (2018). ▶
The past, the present and the future – a look
at Malaysia’s historic General Election 2018,
which took the world by surprise.
Democracy has always been regarded as
some form of abstraction taught in endless
lecture theatres with countless musings
over its forms and functions. For most of
Southeast Asia, it is still an ideal struggling
to be realized within countries fraught
with ethnic tensions and strife such as
Philippines, Thailand and Burma. But, if one
thing is certain – Malaysia’s 14th General
Election was an astonishing and optimistic
reminder that people hold enough power to
crumble established political regimes.
Described as an event of ‘surreal shock’,
sixty years of Barisan Nasional (BN) rule
finally came to end on May 10th 2018 as
the opposition alliance Pakatan Harapan
(PH), led by former retiree Prime Minister
Dr Mahathir Mohamad, emerged with a
startling parliamentary majority. Recognized
as the first democratic change of
So what makes democracy a success?
Well, looking at nations such as Australia
and India, we can attribute its functioning
to a well-informed public sphere,
independent news media and a detailed
constitution upheld by the rule of law.
However, in my view, the most crucial
component of change is the importance
of voting. In fact, in countries like Australia,
voting is compulsory from the age of 18
and above, whereby offenders without a
valid explanation have to pay penalties.
In comparison, in India, the independent
news media urges citizens to vote during
the time of elections and distributes varied
voting information to encourage the
process. Over all, both nations ensure
that checks and systems are in place to
make voting transparent and representative
of people’s voices. This year, Malaysians
made history in peacefully toppling a
60-year-old government through the
ballot box.
At 92 years of age, Mahathir Mohamad is
the oldest prime minister in the world. Much
work lies ahead as Malaysians wait to see
whether the kind of changes they hope for
are instituted. Mahathir has begun his term
actively initiating corruption probes and
aborting the GST. There have been promises
to provide fuel subsidies, revamp tertiary
education, and strengthen the country’s
economic condition by reducing foreign
debt. Moreover, millennials like Thanesh
Kumar, Digital Marketing Specialist at
Google Malaysia, also have their concerns.
He states: “I hope the government will look
into housing and car prices so it doesn’t
burden the youth of this country in settling
down after their higher studies.”
The real challenge, however, will be
making this progress open and inclusive
for all Malaysians, regardless of race and
religion. Moreover, the success of this
“New Malaysia” will also depend on the
government’s resolve in abolishing laws
against freedom of speech and assembly,
sources of public disdain in the past, whilst
ensuring that the rule of law prevails over
every individual irrespective of their status.
Many, like Nisshanthan Dhanapalan,
activist at Amnesty International Malaysia,
believe that these kinds of political shifts
are long overdue:
“In my opinion, Malaysia needed this
change. It is not so much about changing
the government or the newly elected
Prime Minister but the people of Malaysia
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▲ Throngs of Malaysians holding the
Malaysian Flag in pride. (Image credits:
FMT News/Kenneth Lee)
government since Malaysia’s Independence,
this general election has brought relief
and promises of reformation to many who
were saturated with the endless corruption
scandals, coercion and nepotism exercised
by the former government stronghold.
If anything, it comes as a pleasant surprise
to a nation that has undertaken years of
Bersih rallies for free and fair elections
against government gerrymandering and
vote-buying tactics. To say the least,
it sends a strong message to political
leaders across the world that power never
goes unchecked.