Election delivers a hung Parliament
Malaysia tumbled into fresh political turmoil yesterday after a tightly contested general election delivered a hung Parliament with no clear winner and a surprising surge of support for an Islamist party.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s reformist alliance secured the biggest gain with 82 out of 220 Parliamentary seats, but fell far short of a majority. Trailing close behind was former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Malay-based Perikatan Nasional, or National Alliance with 73 seats.
The alliance led by the United Malays National Organisation, which ruled Malaysia since independence from Britain until 2018, fared worse than in the last polls with upsets in a number of seats in a clear sign of rejection from Malays, who opted for Muhyiddin’s bloc. It won only 30 seats.
Among other key election losers was two-time former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who at 97 is leading a separate Malay movement.
Many rural Malays, who form two-thirds of Malaysia’s 33 million people, which include large minorities of ethnic Chinese and Indians, fear they may lose their rights with greater pluralism. This, together with corruption in UMNO, has benefited Muhyiddin’s bloc. Its ally, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, or PAS, emerged the key winner. It more than doubled its haul to 43 seats, making it the single largest party in the country. PAS, which touts Sharia, rules three states and has a strong Muslim base.
Mahathir lost his seat in northern Langkawi island in a shock defeat to Muhyiddin’s bloc. Anwar, 75, won in northern Perak state.
The outcome will now see horsetrading as both Muhyiddin and Anwar scramble to form the government. They will need support from two blocs on Borneo island that jointly hold 28 seats. Ironically, UMNO has also now become kingmaker.
Anwar told a news conference that he has obtained support in writing from lawmakers to obtain a simple majority. He said this will have to be submitted to the country’s king, who will have the final say. Muhyiddin, meanwhile, said he had received a letter from the palace indicating his bloc may have been given preference over Anwar.