Barisan Nasional—which has ruled Malaysia since its independence from the United Kingdom—has been swept from power in yet another stunning anti-establishment upset. Prime Minister Najib Razak and his ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition all but collapsed on the most recent election day, being trounced by the opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan (PH) and suffering numerous losses to the conservative Islamic Party, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS).
While BN has ruled Malaysia since independence, initially under the banner “the Alliance,” it has steadily lost power over the last few elections. In 2008, BN lost its super-majority in parliament, meaning it could no longer amend the constitution on its own whims. In 2013, BN lost the popular vote. Now, it’s lost the parliament.
Interestingly, BN’s defeat came at the hands of one of its most astute architects: Mahathir Bin Mohamad, a former BN politician who had led Malaysia as Prime Minister from 1981 to 2003. Now, Mahathir is going to get a second crack at being Malaysia’s Prime Minister, but this time as leader of the anti-UMNO coalition Pakatan Harapan.
Mahathir’s path back to power has been winding and convoluted. The last opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat, was able to secure Malaysia’s popular vote in 2013 but, due to gerrymandering, couldn’t secure parliament. Pakatan Rakyat’s popular leader Anwar Ibrahim was then jailed on sodomy charges, which many believe were politically motivated. The thought is that Prime Minister Najib Razak wanted him out of the picture.
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This left Pakatan Rakyat leaderless, and the coalition seemed doomed. However, the 1MDB scandal, which has been extensively reported on by the Wall Street Journal and other Western media, galvanized criticism of BN and Prime Minister Najib Razak. Najib was accused of stealing as much as $4.5 billion from the 1 Malaysia Development Bank.
It appears that part of the money was used to shore-up BN during the 2013 election. However, Najib’s wife was accused of expensive spending sprees and sighted wearing expensive designer clothes, handbags, jewelry, and other luxuries. Najib himself has also been questioned for his expensive suits and gear.
Najib’s son-in-law, Riza Aziz, also mysteriously came up with many millions of dollars that was then used to fund “The Wolf of Wallstreet” and other movies. Rumors of expensive art collections, yachts, penthouses in New York, and other luxuries also circulated. In response to these allegations, former PM Mahathir began to vocally criticize Najib. Beforehand, Mahathir had been a supporter, and indeed helped groom Najib throughout his political ascent.
Najib brushed off Mahathir’s criticisms. Much of the United Malays Nasional Organization (UMNO) that Mahathir once headed also turned their back on him. UMNO is the largest party in the BN coalition. Mahathir, however, was cautiously welcomed by the Opposition Party. With Anwar in jail, the Opposition Party was left leaderless and infighting was threatening to undo years of hard work and gradual gains.
Mahathir has long been known for his strong oratory skills, and remains popular among Malaysia’s ethnic rural Malays. The Opposition’s support, meanwhile, was largely limited to ethnic Chinese, and urban Malays and ethnic Indians. Mahathir and the Opposition forged an at-first uneasy alliance, recognizing that their best chance at pushing Najib from power was to work together.
Mahathir has promised to lead Malaysia differently this time around. Some blame his first tenure for creating a fertile breeding ground for corruption and unethical patronage. However, many Malaysians also feel that Malaysia prospered under his leadership. Regardless, Mahathir has stated that he will be Prime Minister for only the next two years.
Many expect him to hand off the PM position to Anwar, should he be pardoned by Malaysia’s King and thus be eligible to lead the country. Anwar has previously served under Mahathir as Deputy Prime Minister. The two had a falling out, however, and Anwar landed in jail, also for sodomy charges that many believe were politically motivated. Regardless, the two popular Malaysian leaders buried the hatchet to defeat Najib.
What happens now? It’s hard to say. Just 24 hours ago it seemed near impossible that Najib could lose. However, his BN coalition has fallen from 133 seats in parliament to roughly 80 seats. Clearly, the people in Malaysia yearn for change. Yet what that means going forward is hard to portend.
