4-7-2023 (KUALA LUMPUR) Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is gearing up for a fresh round of elections as voters in six states prepare to head to the polls next month. The upcoming votes are shaping up to be a verdict on Mr Anwar’s seven-month-old administration.
While ordinary Malaysians have given the premier high approval ratings for his leadership and handling of the economy, his multi-racial Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition government still struggles to win over the country’s ethnic Malay majority. This continues to hamper Malaysia’s prospects.
Unless Mr Anwar’s government shows it is gaining more ethnic Malay supporters in the state elections, Malaysian politics will likely remain focused on the difficulties of a multi-racial ruling coalition battling opposition groups comprised solely of two Malay parties campaigning on issues of race and religion.
Such a scenario could make investors and markets jittery, frustrating the government’s efforts to attract much-needed foreign investment to revive a sluggish economy.
Deep divisions within the Malay community, who make up more than 60% of the population, lie at the heart of the country’s political woes. PH did not win an outright majority in the November 2022 general election. Mr Anwar only became PM after the once-dominant United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party backed the coalition, prompting other groups to support PH.
However, many see the PH administration as illegitimate because most ethnic voters supported the opposition alliance of the right-wing Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) in that election. Together with the small multi-racial Parti Gerakan, PAS and Bersatu form the Perikatan Nasional coalition.
The 75-year-old Mr Anwar faces an uphill battle in the coming weeks leading up to the six state elections, expected to be held together in August.
HAS ANWAR DELIVERED ON ELECTION PROMISES?
The opposition is attacking Mr Anwar for failing to fulfil promises to ease the hardship of rising living costs. Malaysia has seen stagnant wages and few new jobs as businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, struggle to recover from the economic and social damage of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Separately, the opposition criticises Mr Anwar for compromising his anti-corruption efforts. They accuse him of targeting political opponents while making concessions for allies like UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Despite facing corruption charges in court, Mr Hamidi serves as one of two deputy prime ministers.
UMNO has declined sharply over the past decade, culminating in its ejection from power in 2018 following the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, which led to former PM and UMNO chief Najib Razak being jailed.
Now the weakest purely Malay party, behind PAS and Bersatu, UMNO is unlikely to fare better in the upcoming state elections.
PH is widely expected to keep control of the state legislatures of Selangor, Penang and Negeri Sembilan. The northeastern states of Kelantan and Terengganu, long PAS strongholds, appear secure for the opposition.
Kedah is shaping up as a key battleground where PH hopes to claw back ground, possibly eking out a narrow win in a state that is more than 80% ethnic Malay.
THE RACE FOR YOUTH VOTES
Close advisors admit UMNO’s declining popularity shows no signs of reversing. Mr Anwar is banking on first-time voters and younger Malaysians to give his coalition a chance to fulfil economic pledges.
Unlike previous generations who traditionally backed UMNO for achieving independence, defusing 1960s racial tensions and implementing programs helping ordinary Malays progress economically, younger voters feel no automatic loyalty to the party.
There were 5 million new voters added to electoral rolls for the November 2022 election after Malaysia lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. Mr Anwar is counting on this voting block.
