Malaysia - Political Parties

Malaysian political parties are distinguished more by their differing racial compositions than by competing political philosophies. The Government has been dominated since Independence by the Barisan Nasional (BN), which consisted of 14 political parties in the 2004 elections. The BN is a coalition of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC; formerly the Malayan Indian Congress), plus a series of smaller parties (mainly from the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak and reflecting their complex ethnically mixed populations). The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) has been the dominant party in both the BN and the country.

The main opposition parties are the Democratic Action Party (DAP), the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (Parti Islam Se-Malaysia�PAS), and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR - People's Justice Party). These three parties formed the loose coalition �Pakatan Rakyat� after the March 2008 elections.

Political parties often draw much of their support from distinct ethnic or religious communities, and their electoral success appears to rely on an individual leader�s influence. Political parties often are characterized by factionalism, publicized internal disputes, and near cloak-and-dagger internal relations. As the perennial majority party in the BN, the UMNO has also created barriers for parties to compete in elections, such as increasing the amount of required deposits.

UMNO was founded in 1946 by a group of conservative Malays to promote Malay political interests. In 1952, however, it entered into a limited partnership with the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) and in 1955 also with the Malayan Indian Congress (MIC). This three-party partnership came to be known as the Alliance. The show of intercommunal solidarity was believed to be essential because Malaya was scheduled for independence two years later. In 1974 the Alliance was absorbed into a broader, new coalition called the National Front.

Within the Chinese community the MCA was opposed after the mid-1960s by the Democratic Action Party (DAP), which proved to be more popular among the younger and the urban Chinese voters. DAP's share of the vote in constituencies with a predominantly Chinese population was roughly equal to that of the MCA. A third Chinese group competing with the MCA and DAP for the popular vote was the People s Movement of Malaysia (Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia�more frequently known as Gerakan). Gerakan was formed in 1968 by a group of Chinese and Malay politicians and intellectuals as a non-communal, moderately socialist alternative to the Alliance.

Indians, the third major ethnic group, have been represented since 1946 by the Malayan Indian Congress / Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC). Their primary concern has been to secure representation in the federal cabinet and to raise their living standards within the framework of the 1970 New Economic Policy [NEP]. There is a deep credibility gap between police (whose ranks are overwhelmingly ethnic Malay) and the Indian community.

The Malaysian Front Islamic Council (better known by its Malaysian acronym, Berjasa) is a Kelantan-based Islamic party. It was founded by Dato Haji Mohamad Nasir in late 1977 after he and his moderate faction broke away from the Pan-Malaysia Islamic Party (PAS). PAS can be traced back to the late 1940s when it was launched by Islamic leaders, theologians, and ultranationalists as the Malayan Muslim Party. Initially, it worked through UMNO but split from it in disagreement over UMNO's proposal to grant citizenship automatically to all persons born in Malaya, a proposal that would have opened the door to an expanded political role for the Chinese.

Measured by the number of seats in the 2004 elections for the House of Representatives, the most supported political party was the UMNO, which won 109 of the 219 seats, followed by the MCA (31 seats), Democratic Action Party (12 seats), Parti Pesakea Bumiputera Bersatu (11 seats), and Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (10 seats). All other political parties won fewer than 10 seats. The BN coalition won 198 out of 219 seats in the 2004 elections. In the 12 general elections since 1955, the BN and its predecessor, the Alliance, have won at least 70 percent of seats, except in 1969 when they won only 51 percent of seats.

Corruption, crime and vernacular education remain among the top electoral priorities for Malaysia's ethnic Chinese community, and Chinese dissatisfaction with the ruling Coalition's handling of such issues appears on the rise. The various political parties representing the Chinese community are the ruling National Front (BN)'s Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and People's Movement Party (Gerakan), along with the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP). Gerakan and DAP are non-ethnic parties, but closely associated with the Chinese community.

Most political parties hold their Supreme Council or Central Working Committee meetings once every month. There are no fixed dates and it is generally left to the respective party's secretary-general in consultation with the party president to determine the dates. The monthly Supreme Council meeting of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO, the country's leading party) always attracts press coverage as major decisions affecting the country are sometime made at its meetings. The other component parties of the ruling National Front (Barisan Nasional, or BN) will only receive press coverage if a decision that would have a major impact on the party is made at the meeting. The opposition parties' supreme council meetings do not gain much coverage in the mainstream press, if at all. Nevertheless, their respective party newspapers and websites routinely report on their monthly meetings to party members and others who are interested in the opposition party activities and decisions.

Opposition parties do not have access to the mainstream media and therefore generally hold weekly "ceramahs" or political gatherings at the grassroots to explain the party's platform and to criticize BN policies. Among the three major opposition parties, the Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) is the veteran in organizing these "ceramahs," making special outreach to rural areas. Since Malaysian laws impose strict conditions in hosting political gatherings, opposition parties have these meetings in confined locations such as assembly halls or within party premises to avoid applying for police permits.

During the five decades of UMNO's rule, opposition parties have routinely criticized the Election Commission (EC) as beholden to UMNO. All EC commissioners, including the Chairman, are appointed by the King based on the advice of the PM. They may not be removed from office prior to age 65, except on similar grounds and in a similar manner as pertains to the removal of a justice from the Federal Court (Malaysia's apex court). Under heavy influence from UMNO, the EC has used its power under the constitution to gerrymander voter districts every eight years in BN-controlled states. In addition, UMNO keeps election campaign cycles very short (8 days for the general election in 2004). Opposition parties are effectively precluded from access to mainstream media outlets during campaign days, while advertisements and positive stories about BN candidates and parties flood the newspapers and airwaves.

Parties whose behavior in parliament is not monitored by an active opposition or by informed voters, and parties that are very secure in their hold on power, are more likely to indulge in extralegal means of enrichment and exercise of power. The longer such a state of non-competition lasts or the greater the degree of non-competition, the more corruption can be expected. In extreme cases, parties act on behalf of any group ready to pay the appropriate sum or demand fees and kickbacks for public contracts, government loans, or licenses. To various degrees, such corruption can be found in the United Malay National Organization (UMNO) in Malaysia.

The opposition coalition, called the People's Alliance (Pakatan Rakyat or PR in Malaysian), comprising the People's Justice Party (PKR), the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) held its first convention on 19 December 2009 with the theme of "Guiding change to ensure victory." This is the first time the three parties have come together to formalize the coalition after announcing its formation on April 1, 2008, right after the March 2008 general election. Anwar Ibrahim stated that the People's Alliance is not just a political party but "a political movement that will bring about genuine change in the country." But PAS is not abandoning its objective of forming an Islamic state in Malaysia, while DAP leaders are continuing to promote the dismantling of race-based policies and secularization of the government.

One of Malaysia's best known human rights and political activists � and a thorn in the side of the government for years � Anwar was considered by many to be a moderate within the spectrum of Islamic revivalist movements in Malaysia. Many viewed him as a potential future leader of the Pan-Malaysia Islamic Party (better known by its Malaysian acronym, PAS), the main rival to UMNO in competition for Muslim votes. In September 1982 he surprised many within and outside UMNO by being elected president of UMNO's youth organization and vice president of the parent UMNO at their respective annual assemblies. His meteoric rise to the top of the UMNO machine was unprecedented�cause for dismay for dozens of loyal second-echelon UMNO aspirants to power; these loyalists were mostly inthe youth wing of UMNO. In any case, Anwar became the minister of culture, youth, and sports in 1983 � an object of speculationas a future prime minister of Malaysia.

Anwar was touted as a potential prime minister under former leader Mahathir Mohammad but their friendship soured over Anwar�s political ambitions and differences over how best to handle the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Anwar was fired and charged with sodomizing his wife�s driver. He was found guilty and jailed but the charge of sodomy was eventually overturned after he served six years behind bars.

In 2008 his Parti Keadilan Rakyat delivered the ruling UMNO party its worst electoral drubbing since independence in 1957. UMNO lost its cherished two-thirds majority in parliament and control of four of Malaysia�s 13 states. That result led to Najib Razak ousting his predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as prime minister.

On Malaysia�s High Court acquitted opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on charges of sodomy, ending a two-year case that his supporters say was politically motivated. An emotional crowd greeted the acquittal, which is expected to have an impact of elections. Judge Mohamad Zabidin Diah determined that the DNA samples considered crucial to the prosecution�s case were unreliable. The judge said the court was not convinced that the samples had been properly handled by police. Throughout the three-year ordeal, Anwar had maintained his innocence after his former aide, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, 26, claimed he had sex with his boss. Sodomy remains a crime in Malaysia that carries up to a 20 year prison term.