Election System in Malaysia

SOME states might have their own peculiar issues, but on a national scale, the issues that are likely to dominate this general election fall under three broad categories: race relations, governance and economic wellbeing. These categories are not watertight compartments and a given policy issue can affect all of them, but they offer a simple and convenient way to understand the electoral issues. Formulated in this general way, these categories are familiar and longstanding in Malaysian politics, although there are changes in specific issues and their saliency. The specific issues also tend to evoke different levels of concern and indeed to be seen in significantly different ways among various groups in society.

Race relations
Race relations pertain to almost all areas of national life and underlie concerns with national unity and political stability. All groups, of course, want at least peaceful race relations. However, because of their particularistic interests, they do not agree on the terms for achieving good relations. Indeed, this is what gives rise to the problem in the first place and makes it particularly intractable and enduring in plural societies.

As the government plays a major role in almost all sectors in Malaysia, equity or fairness in public policy is likely to be a primary focus of concern. In recent years, the dissatisfaction of minority or non-Malay ethnic groups has been increasingly expressed with respect to areas like education, public employment, the conduct of anti-poverty programmes, and the intersection of religion and law. This has heightened concerns not only with national unity but also with political stability, as dissatisfied groups show more willingness to resort to stronger forms of expression.

The issue of minority dissatisfaction with the Barisan Nasional’s (BN) policies is likely to be more prominent in this election compared to recent ones. And this dissatisfaction can only hurt the electoral performance of the BN,