Malaysia goes to the polls on Wednesday to elect members of the 14th Parliament of Malaysia. It is building up to be the one of the most hotly contested elections in the country’s history. The day has been declared a bank holiday.
This election pits current prime minister Najib Razak, in power since 2009, against Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was also Malaysia’s longest running prime minister between 1981 and 2003. At 92-years-old, Mahathir has decided to return to the political fray. If he wins, it will make him the world’s oldest leader.
After Najib was implicated in the 1MDB corruption scandal in 2015, Mahathir turned against him. He had retired from politics but earlier this year declared his return to politics, switching political allegiances and joining the opposition coalition with one goal: to take down Najib.
This battle is personal as well as political. Najib was once Mahathir’s protege whom he groomed for office and made sure would be prime minister. Mahathir has now called his role in Najib’s rise “the biggest mistake of my life”.
With full of tears Dr Mahathir Mohamad said, “I am already old”. “I haven’t much time left. I have to do some work to rebuild our country; perhaps because of mistakes I, myself, made in the past.”
Another party that will play a crucial role in the elections is the conservative Islamic party PAS. While they are likely to gain only a small number of seats.
As candidates canvass for votes in Malaysia’s hottest general election yet, hundreds of Malaysians abroad are left in the dark about missing postal ballots, with some only arriving on polling day itself.
Still others received their ballots with just a few days to spare, meaning that they have to pay exorbitant international express courier fees to make sure their votes are counted.
EC chairman Mohd Hashim Abdullah, however, assured the public at a press conference on Sunday that there were “no technical problems” and, despite being aware of concerns from overseas Malaysians, expressed his confidence that the ballots would return in time, chalking up the complaints to an “excitement” to vote.
>Juthy Saha
General Election in Malaysia on 9th May
Will You Support Our Work?
People turns to WhatsOn to understand what's goingOn? We have been empowering through hope & understanding for the last forty years. We’re an independent social enterprise & our journalism is powered by our supporters. Financial contributions from our readers allows us to keep our journalism free for all & to change the world for better. Please support us, with your donation - no matter how small. Your donation makes a real difference, it empowers our activist & academy, and engages wider community groups, & universities - connecting more people. WhatsOn is a change maker, let’s get our future back together!
