In this episode of the 'Malaysia in deluge' series on Malaysia's 15th general elections, pollster Ibrahim Suffian of the Merdeka Centre sketches out the tough landscape for both incumbents and oppositions alike as they rush to the November 19 election day. Will GE15 resolve Malaysia's uncertainty and herald a 'credible and stable' government promised by the competing coalitions? Will the big jump in new voters matter, and party legacies be discarded? And do the once-heavily weighted and fought over rural electorates now give way to tight contests in cities and towns? As Malaysia's urbanisation grows beyond two-thirds of the population and the pandemic traumas break down ways of connecting, does social media become the vital news currency?
*The MASSA (Malaysia and Singapore Society of Australia) podcast series discusses the themes, tropes and tendencies of GE15, with all sorts of experts in politics, the economy, the polls, the media, religion, and society.

Malaysia in deluge: Merdeka Centre's Ibrahim Suffian sketches out GE15, ahead of Nov 19

Malaysia's Borneo states Sabah and Sarawak co-founded today's federation going to the polls on November 19. But the undercurrents of state nationalism and grievances over the unmet promises of Malaysia's 1963 founding are driving many of East Malaysia's election agendas. Tough loyalty and personality contests in often remote electorates foreground what are still among the poorest regions in Malaysia, despite the vast fortunes made in oil and gas offshore and through deforestation across Borneo. Prof James Chin explains how Sabah and Sarawak may determine the ultimate victor at GE15, and why the peninsular's "toxic" racialised and religious politics should be avoided.

GE15-MASSA

Malaysia in deluge: the Borneo bloc... making and breaking Malaysia's federalism at GE15?

In this episode, Aira Azhari talks about GE15 and money politics, how corruption can go beyond usual political donations scandals, the high price of democracy and good government. And why young Malaysians avoid party politics despite these grave times. As speculation swirls over backrooms deals post-GE15 if precarious coalition government prevails, can Malaysia's young voters avoid further corruption of politics and government found elsewhere? And might a precarious coalition government instead be ideal for more institutional reforms?

GE15-MASSApods

Malaysia in deluge: Can young voters save Malaysia from (more) money politics at GE15?

We're talking about Malaysia’s troubled economy in this episode, as it struggles to recover with a more credible government after GE15. When the February 2020 coup that collapsed the short-lived Pakatan Harapan government happened – on the eve of the pandemic’s border closures and shutdown of the economy – several long-awaited reforms also imploded as a new Perikatan Nasional government kept Malaysians and the economy alive. With MIDF economist Zafri Zulkeffeli and Dr Greg Lopez of Murdoch University, we're exploring how any new government can get out of this jam. With rising 1MDB-related debt servicing costs, and a looming global recession, there’s also huge pressure to cut subsidies and reintroduce taxes like the GST, just as Malaysians already squeezed by soaring living costs hope for good government relief. Can the longer-term problems of diversifying Malaysia's economy away from fossil fuels and ensuring the security of its healthcare, education and food supply be resolved, sooner rather than later?

ge15series

Malaysia in deluge: Recovering the economy from pandemic and peril at GE15

in this last episode before polling day on November 19, we’re hearing from the UNDI18 movement co-founder Tharma Pillai, who’s coordinating the huge global effort to get about 50,000 postal ballots back to Malaysia and sorted and counted in time, at often far-flung counting centres across the nation. All of this relying on the goodwill and energy of Malaysian volunteers urgently recruited for an intense few days.

There’s been a seven-fold jump in overseas Malaysians voting this GE15, compared with the first time this postal voting was widespread back in 2018’s elections – which saw a historic change of government.

With about 6 million new and mostly young voters automatically registered – making up nearly a quarter of all voters this time – there’s much uncertainty about how this can upset predictions of an already tight race to power for the rival coalitions. When up to a third of Malaysia’s parliamentary seats are won on very slim margins, it’s no surprise everyone’s nervous about election day and why every vote will count.

We also hear from Zhi, enthusiastic first-time voter and one of the organisers in the global collection effort abroad to rush Malaysian ballots home in time,

Do get in touch about the series with comments, tips and predictions at ge15malaysia@pm.me

malaysia in deluge

The amazing race for democracy: rushing ballots home from all over the world

The Malaysia and Singapore Society of Australia (MASSA) is the first ‘country’ association to be affiliated with the Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA) – shortly after ASAA’s formation in 1976. MASSA serves as a focal point for scholarly contact and communication and strives to represent and promote the interests of Malaysia and Singapore studies in Australia, the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. Panels on Malaysia and Singapore continue to be a regular feature of the biennial ASAA conferences, where the James C. Jackson Memorial Lecture is delivered by a leading scholar of Malaysia and Singapore studies.

MASSA-GE15