WSJ's editorial piece: Malaysia Maturing Democracy

Below is an editorial piece published by The Wall Street Journal (Asia Edition).

This piece precisely point out the political situation in Malaysia: race-based politics do not have a future in Malaysia.

Malaysia's Maturing Democracy
March 10, 2008

Malaysia's voters went to the polls Saturday and delivered the biggest blow to the ruling coalition since independence a half century ago. The results show that voters understand there isn't an inherent trade-off between democracy and stability or democracy and economic growth.

According to preliminary results, opposition parties now control five of Malaysia's 13 states and 82 of 222 seats in the national Parliament, up from one state and only 19 parliamentary seats. By controlling one-third of Parliament, opposition parties will be able to block government efforts to amend the constitution.

The results are a rebuke to the leadership of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, who did little to crack down on corruption during his four-year tenure and only marginally liberalized the economy. As public discontent grew, he wielded the Internal Security Act on protestors and limited media freedom. His National Coalition front, led by the United Malays National Organization, campaigned on a platform of the status quo, promising more government handouts and affirmative action for Malays, who make up 60% of the country's population.

That message went down like a lead ball in water, even among some Malay voters. The Parti Islam se-Malaysia, or PAS, easily retained Kelantan state and even picked up urban seats. The largely Chinese Democratic Action Party (DAP) won Penang state, the Prime Minister's home constituency. But the biggest winner was the multi-racial National Justice Party (PKR), which took 32 seats in the national legislature -- a huge victory, considering that it previously boasted only one.

PKR's victories confirm the resurrection of former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who was fired and jailed a decade ago and who is barred from holding office until April (one reason the government called elections this month). It proves, too, that Malaysians will vote for a moderate Muslim, multi-racial party -- not solely race-based parties. Other opposition parties are also figuring this out. Unlike in the 2004 election, PAS dropped its calls for a shariah state, fielded more female candidates and ran on an anti-corruption platform.

The opposition parties now need to find common ground and prove they are capable of forming a national government -- goals that have proved elusive in the past. The economy would be a good place to start. Mr. Anwar's calls for more competition, a cleaner legal system and an end to pro-Malay hiring practices would benefit all constituencies, not just PKR supporters. It would also help attract foreign investment that is now going to Vietnam, China and India.

The National Front, too, has to think seriously about how to broaden its base. Voters punished the ethnic parties that allied themselves with the ruling coalition Saturday, unseating the acting president and president of the largely Chinese Gerakan party and Malaysian Indian Congress, respectively. That's a big problem for a coalition that has, if anything, entrenched pro-Malay affirmative action policies over the past four years.

Saturday's results are all the more remarkable given the constraints imposed on the media. Television and newspaper coverage of the elections showed no hint of the opposition's gains until well into Saturday night. But independent Web sites like Malaysiakini.com and MalaysiaVotes.com, not to mention blogs, were overloaded with hits. Blogger Jeff Ooi, who was sued for defamation by a government-linked newspaper last year, won a seat in Penang for the opposition Democratic Action Party.

Malaysia's ruling elites can't control the flow of information to voters as they could in the past, nor can they rely on election platforms based on tired, race-based politics. As Malaysia's neighbors democratize and liberalize their economies, voters are taking note -- and demanding that their leaders do the same.