ARTICLES

11 Aug 2023

Populism, Pietism and Pragmatism in the Kedah State Election

Azmil Tayeb

Whether the unlikely partnership of Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional can wrest Kedah from Perikatan Nasional would require an extraordinary alignment of the stars.

10 Aug 2023

A Material Election: Will Malaysians Vote with Their Wallets?

Lee Hwok-Aun

Electoral campaigns in the run-up to Malaysia’s six state elections on 12 August are spinning economic success stories to tug heartstrings, but the electorate will surely reference their lived experience as they cast ballots.

Malaysia Malaysian Elections Malaysian Politics

8 Aug 2023

Negeri Sembilan State Election: A Safe Bet for Anwar Administration?

Kevin Zhang

Negeri Sembilan is considered a safe ground for the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional unity alliance. But friction in the coalition might emerge if UMNO has a good showing in the state.

Malaysia Malaysian Elections Malaysian Politics

7 Aug 2023

The Unity Government: Preventing a Partial Victory in the Polls

Francis E. Hutchinson

The Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional tag-team will likely win by a big margin in the Penang state elections. The key question here is whether the Unity Government would represent Malays in the state adequately.

Malaysia Malaysian Elections

4 Aug 2023

Sanusi’s Bully Pulpit Populism: Boon or Bane?

James Chai

In the run-up to the state elections in Kedah, Parti Islam SeMalaysia is touting a Trumpist-type politician. The approach is unconventional but explicable if one considers the party’s ambitions.

Malaysia Malaysian Elections Malaysian Politics

3 Aug 2023

Will UMNO’s Mutant Electoral Map Bite Pakatan Harapan?

Lee Hwok-Aun

In the run-up to the Selangor state elections, Pakatan Harapan has to rally UMNO votes to its side. It must also overcome vulnerabilities caused by the latter’s 2018 gerrymandering of the state’s electoral map.

Malaysia Malaysian Elections

31 Jul 2023

Malaysia’s 2023 Elections: A Coming Clash of Coalitions in Selangor

Khairy Jamaluddin

The upcoming state elections in Malaysia represent a referendum on the first eight months of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ‘Unity Government’. This Long Read assesses possible scenarios for the election outcome in Selangor.

Malaysia Malaysian Elections Malaysian Politics

18 Jul 2023

Malaysia’s 2023 State Elections: Projections and Scenarios

Ong Kian Ming

This Long Read uses the results of the 15th General Election (GE15) held in 2022 to project the possible outcomes in the upcoming state elections, through the use of various scenarios. A key question for the upcoming polls is the extent to which supporters of former political rivals Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) will “transfer” their votes to each other in the upcoming state elections.

Malaysia Malaysian Elections

6 Jul 2023

What’s the Matter with MUDA – is it Moody or just Misunderstood?

Francis E. Hutchinson

The Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA) has parted ways with Pakatan Harapan to contest the upcoming state elections. Although some have written the youth-focused party off, there might yet be method to its madness.

Malaysia Malaysian Elections

5 Jul 2023

Malaysia’s 2023 State Elections: So Much Fuss For So Little Work

Lee Hwok-Aun

Amid the political spectacle, Malaysia should critically consider the meagre roles and resources of state governments. The irony is that states, in following their own election cycles, end up augmenting federal dominance and disempowering themselves.

Malaysia Malaysian Elections Malaysian Politics