Wheeling and dealing likely on the cards next
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia could be facing an unprecedented post-election scenario with the likelihood of a hung Parliament and it will be interesting to watch the political manoeuvring that is likely to go on.
The possibilities, says an analyst, are almost endless.
“This will be a test case, without precedence. There are multiple possible coalitions. Even the coalition with the highest number of seats could end up in the Opposition in Parliament,” said Dr Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar of International Islamic University Malaysia.
“This is where a mature political consideration is needed. It would only be fair to ask the coalition with the highest number of seats to negotiate with others to form a post-electoral coalition,” he said.
“This could be a test for future elections. If this trend of multi-coalition governments goes on, Malaysia may again experience a situation in which no one coalition or party would have a clear majority.”
Dr Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, also said a hung Parliament was a distinct possibility.
He, however, felt that Pakatan Harapan would find itself shut out even if it wins the most seats.
“If Pakatan cannot clinch an outright majority, it is likely to be prevented from forming or joining a ruling coalition.
“This is because the Malaymuslim deep state parties would do their utmost to prevent the coalition from doing so. They could forge an alliance of their own, with help from Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.
All coalitions have been campaigning on several key, recurring themes.
Universiti Sains Malaysia senior lecturer Dr Azmil Mohd Tayeb said Perikatan Nasional and Pakatan have been “hammering” home a message that a vote for Barisan Nasional is a vote for Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, although Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has been named the coalition’s prime ministerial candidate.
“Perikatan is positioning itself as the cleanest among the three main coalitions.
“The second theme includes bread-and-butter issues such as jobs, the high cost of living, infrastructure, training centres, schools, agricultural subsidies and others,” said Azmil.
Tunku Mohar said Barisan’s main message has been about stability, arguing that an unstable government could not deliver public goods.
“Perikatan has taken a far-right position, calling for stability but with a Malay/muslim dominant government.
“Pakatan’s message is not just about changing the prime minister, but also about changing how the government works,” he said.
“Among the three, Pakatan’s campaign seems to have gained the largest audience, in both its physical rallies and Internet live streams.”
On the other side of the South China Sea, Sabah and Sarawak political coalitions were focused more on local and regional content and their position in Malaysia.
Barisan is vying for 178 parliamentary seats, Perikatan is vying for 169 while Pakatan has fielded 206 candidates for the 222 parliamentary seats up for grabs.