A turning point for Malaysians
Today’s general election may well be a referendum on the rule of Prime Minister Najeeb Razak
Malaysians are voting today in an election that will determine the shape of the next parliament. But perhaps, more importantly, it is a vote that will clearly set out the choice for a nation that is reeling from divisions, challenged by corruption and dealing with issues entirely of the government’s own making. More than anything, today’s vote is likely to be a referendum on the leadership style of current Prime Minister Najeeb Razak, a man who has led the country for the past nine years, but one who is embroiled in a corruption scandal amid accusations that his own bank accounts have benefited to the tune of $700 million (Dh2.57 billion) from the widereaching 1MDB scandal.
According to officials from the United States Department of Justice, some $4.5 billion had been siphoned off by executives and friends of Razak and was used to buy yachts, a jet, jewels, luxury apartments and for gambling in Las Vegas casinos. The prime minister has denied any wrongdoing, but admits there were mistakes, while a parliamentary inquiry found his actions wanting, though it had no authority to recommend actions against him. The entire tawdry affair has angered 92-year-old Mahathir Mohammad, who led the country for 22 years, to come out of retirement to denounce and campaign against his former protege.
The reality is that the Barisan Nasional coalition led by Razak has held power from the very moment of Malaysia’s independence from the British in 1957, and it is a party that is now all too used to the trappings of power.
Today, given that the parliamentary boundaries have been blatantly redrawn to lessen the impact of large-population urban centres and ethnic-Chinese areas — both segments are largely opposed to Najeeb — and to give much more prominence to smaller underpopulated rural areas where the prime minister remains popular, the vote is not an open contest. Analysts believe that Razak can retain a majority in the 222-seat Lower House by polling less than 20 per cent.
Malaysia is a nation with great potential, with oil and gas revenues and a booming palm oil export sector. It is a nation that is diverse and multi-ethnic, one that has shown tremendous resilience and progress since independence.
Today’s vote offers a chance for Malaysians to chart a new course, but it also affords the potential for dangerous divisions to remain should the outcome of the poll be manipulated or thwarted in any way. And that is in no one’s interest.