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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s ruling coalition made an all-out push
Friday on the eve of elections to counter a resurgent opposition
that is hoping to deny it a two-thirds majority for the first time.
Political observers said the coalition that has
ruled for half a century is rattled by signs that minority ethnic
Chinese and Indians will defect to the opposition led by charismatic
former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.
Newspapers linked to the government, which is
dominated by Muslim Malays who make up 60 percent of the population,
splashed front-page warnings that the minorities could lose their
voice in the multi-ethnic coalition.
“I do not want to form a government that is
made up of only one race,” Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
said of the indications that the Chinese and Indian parties in the
Barisan Nasional coalition could be hit on Saturday. “I hope the
status quo is maintained in the interests of all.”
Abdullah’s government has mounted a savage
attack on Anwar in recent days, in what observers said was a sign
his Keadilan party is posing a real threat by appealing to voters of
all races—a first in Malaysian politics.
“Anwar has done a good job in organizing a
national campaign,” said Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asia expert at
Johns Hopkins University. “Keadilan as a party is trying to reach
across the races, and long term that potentially gives it the power
to be able to govern.”
Anwar and other opposition leaders have been
drawing big crowds at political rallies in Kuala Lumpur, campaigning
on issues like the high inflation and rising crime rates that
resonate with voters.
More than 7,000 Malaysians of all races braved
the pouring rain to gather in a village outside the capital Thursday
night to heat Anwar speak, standing transfixed despite the thunder
and lightning.
“You can cheat as much as you want, but you
cannot change the will of the people,” he roared, drawing chants
of “Reformasi, Reformasi”, the battle cry that emerged after his
1998 dismissal and jailing.
Anwar was convicted of sex charges and
corruption; charges he said were politically motivated. The sex
count was later quashed but the corruption conviction makes him
ineligible to stand for office until April.
Meanwhile, Abdullah is attempting to shore up
support from minorities concerned over the rising “Islamization”
of Malaysia and decade-old discrimination policies that favor
Malays.
“The tone is becoming increasingly
defensive,” Welsh said. “They’ve moved from trying to focus on
their rhetoric, to attacking the opposition which shows a real sense
of concern.”
Opposition parties warn that the polls may not
be a fair fight, saying they are concerned over fraud including
phantom voters and manipulation of postal votes in tightly contested
seats.
Welsh said the opposition parties had a good
chance of doubling their presence in the new 222-seat parliament to
40 seats, with most gains from the Chinese-based Democratic Action
Party and the Islamic hardliners PAS.
The opposition parties, which have formed a
loose alliance, are aiming for 75 seats that would break the
coalition’s two-thirds majority that allows it to amend the
constitution at will.
-- AFP
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