Will Najib wait for the MIC, MCA, Gerakan and PPP to play catch-up? AFTER the March 2008 general election, when public sentiment against the Barisan Nasional (BN) swirled dark and hopes were bright for the Pakatan Rakyat (PR)’s multicultural politics, Umno was everybody’s favourite punching bag. Perhaps riding on public sentiment that favoured the opposition, […]
james chin
Small parties, big questions
By Shanon Shah(Pic by barunpatro / sxc.hu) POP quiz — how many registered political parties are there in Malaysia? This is not such an easy question to answer. The official website for the Election Commission (EC) of Malaysia says there are 31 registered political parties to date. But a quick browse shows that the EC actually lists […]
How losing might help the BN
By Shanon ShahBARELY 48 hours after the Barisan Nasional (BN) was nearly brought to its knees in the March 2008 elections, Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the coalition would “learn its lesson” and “improve”. Nearly 16 months after that fateful general election, Malaysians can be forgiven for being confused. Political temperatures have been rising, not […]
“PR needs to formalise its coalition”
By Shanon ShahPETALING JAYA, 25 June 2009: Pakatan Rakyat needs to, among others, form a shadow cabinet in order for Malaysia to start having a two-party system, a political scientist said. Monash University Sunway Campus’s Prof Dr James Chin said Pakatan Rakyat (PR) had to first formalise itself as a coalition before talk about Malaysia having a […]
Will Perak snap?
By Shanon Shah and Zedeck SiewTarnished silver (© Chris Deraud / sxc.hu) THE silver state is in crisis, with the Pakatan Raykat-led state government having lost its majority in the legislative assembly with four assemblypersons leaving its fold. Now, with the Perak government in limbo, experts tell The Nut Graph that the best option for the formation of a state […]