KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak announced the dissolution of parliament on Friday, paving the way for a general election showdown with his old mentor and the country’s most seasoned campaigner, Mahathir Mohamad.
A woman passes a live telecast of Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak addressing the nation on the dissolution of Parliament at a electronics shop in Port Klang, Malaysia April 6, 2018. REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin
Najib is under pressure to deliver an emphatic win for the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, as he struggles to appease Malaysians unhappy with rising costs and a multi-billion dollar scandal at a state fund he founded.
The 64-year-old leader is expected to retain power due to a rift in opposition ranks between Mahathir’s bloc and the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party.
But analysts predict a tough fight from Mahathir, who transformed Malaysia into an industrial nation from a rural backwater during his iron-fisted 22-year rule until 2003.
The opposition says the election will be unfair.
In recent days, parliament approved plans to redraw electoral boundaries and passed a contentious anti-fake news bill, changes critics say will favour Najib.
The government rejects the accusations.
“If victory is given to BN, we promise to do our best, to carry out a bigger, more inclusive and more comprehensive transformation of the country,” Najib said in an announcement on state television, adding that the dissolution of parliament would be effective from Saturday.
Polling must be held within 60 days of a dissolution. The Election Commission is expected to meet in days to announce a date for the approximately 14 million eligible voters to cast their ballots.
High living costs and corruption are issues that have resonated with voters but overall, Najib’s standing is likely to be bolstered by a robust economy.
“We don’t choose parties, we choose leaders,” said 27-year-old Amir Mukris Bakeri, a travel agent in Kuala Lumpur.
“If the leader can provide for people’s welfare, that’s who we’d pick.”
Malaysia's former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks during a Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia briefing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in this still image taken from social media video, April 6, 2018. Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia /via REUTERS
Growth has been buoyed by a recovery in global crude oil prices and increased trade and infrastructure investment from Malaysia’s largest trading partner, China.
‘TRICKS’
Political apathy, however, is pervasive among young Malaysians and urban voters, many of whom are reluctant to choose between Mahathir and Najib, who are seen as cut from the same cloth.
Mahathir, 92, who was himself criticised for his authoritarian premiership, told a news conference Malaysia’s 14th general election would be “dirty”.
“Should Najib win this election through his tricks and his cheating, then we can kiss goodbye to democracy in the 15th, 16th, 17th elections,” Mahathir said.
If elected, Mahathir would become the world’s oldest prime minister.
Najib resisted demands to step down in mid-2015 following reports of financial mismanagement at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), including that $681 million was deposited into his personal bank account.
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Najib has denied any wrongdoing in connection with 1MDB, but the scandal created a rift between Najib and Mahathir, who has become the prime minister’s harshest critic.
With the common goal of taking down Najib, Mahathir has joined hands with his former deputy and jailed opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, ending a feud that had shaped the country’s political narrative over two decades.
‘UNPREDICTABLE’
Najib’s United Malay National Organisation (UMNO) party heads the ruling coalition that has held power since Malaysia’s independence in 1957.
The coalition lost the popular vote in the last election, in 2013, but Najib held on to power with a smaller majority in parliament.
Malaysia has a first-past-the-post election system, which is based on the number of seats won, not the popular vote.
Even if Najib’s coalition retains power, a weak victory could lead to an internal leadership challenge against him.
His predecessor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, had to step down after the coalition lost its two-thirds majority in the 222-seat parliament for the first time in 2008.
“He wants not only to win, but to win big,” said Yang Razali Kassim, Senior Fellow at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
The election could be a very close call, he said.
“This will in fact be the most unpredictable general election in Malaysian politics,” he said.
The 14th general election is finally in sight.
VIDEO INSIDE
KUALA LUMPUR: Parliament is dissolved, the prime minister has announced, paving the way for the 14th general election (GE14) on the back of major realignments in political alliances on both sides of the divide.
“His Majesty (the Agong) has agreed to the dissolution of the Parliament from tomorrow, Saturday, April 7, 2018,” Najib Razak said today in a special speech broadcast live on public television channels, and attended by cabinet members.
A total of 222 parliamentary seats and 505 state seats are at stake.
The Election Commission will now set a date for accepting nomination of candidates, followed by two to three weeks of campaigning, based on past practice.
Earlier in his speech today, Najib underlined seven achievements under his leadership.
He said these include an economic growth of 5.9%, “among the highest in the world”, and the government’s embrace of moderate Islam while not subscribing to an understanding that is “too liberal and loose”.
“So why then the claim that Malaysia is a failed state?” he asked.
This will be Najib’s second general election as prime minister since taking over from Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2009, following Barisan Nasional’s (BN) losses a year earlier.
It will also be BN’s second attempt at regaining its two-third majority lost in 2008, though many believe this will be impossible in the face of an opposition buoyed by the presence of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
On the opposition front, several new parties will go to the polls for the first time, including Amanah, the PAS splinter party formed in 2015, and Warisan, the Sabah-based party led by former Umno vice-president Shafie Apdal.
Today’s dissolution of Parliament also comes 24 hours after the dissolution of PPBM, following a decision by the Registrar of Societies giving the party a month to fulfil several conditions to avoid permanent deregistration.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced the dissolution of parliament on Friday, more than two months before the end of his five-year term, paving the way for a general election.
Najib has been burdened by a multi-billion dollar scandal linked to a state fund and is under pressure to deliver an emphatic win for his ruling coalition as he struggles to appease voters unhappy with rising living costs and an unprecedented challenge by his former mentor, Mahathir Mohamad.
Najib said he met King Sultan Muhammad V to gain approval for the dissolution.
"The king has recommended for parliament to be dissolved effective Saturday, April 7," Najib said in a special announcement.
Polling day must be held within 60 days from the dissolution of parliament. The Election Commission is expected to meet within the week to announce a date for the vote.
(CNN) Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced the dissolution of parliament on Friday, officially kicking off election season in the country.
Najib faces opposition leader Mahathir Mohamad , who served 22 years as the country's leader before retiring in 2003 and has come back determined to topple the party he once led.
Mahathir, 92, breathed life into the pre-election period with a stunning return to frontline politics by joining forces with his arch-nemesis, former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, whom he once jailed for corruption and sodomy.
Mahathir and Anwar have put aside rivalry to focus on defeating frontrunner Najib and his United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party, which forms the largest constituent in the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.
Najib made the announcement at his office in the country's administrative capital of Putrajaya, shortly after noon, local time.
He announced that the king had assented to the dissolution, which will take effect on Saturday, April 7.
The country will have to go to the polls within 60 days of dissolution. The country's Election Commission will now decide dates for nomination of candidates, the length of the campaigning period and the date for elections.
Prior to dissolution, Najib's Barisan Nasional coalition held 131 of 222 parliamentary seats.
In the forthcoming elections, voters will cast ballots for Parliamentary seats, as well as on seats in state legislatures, which are expected to be dissolved in the coming days.
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Mahathir's party dissolved
The run-up to the election has been mired in controversy as Najib's government has attempted to further tighten its grip on power. The opposition has accused it of widespread gerrymandering and increasing hand-outs among its ethnic Malay rural powerbase.
Earlier this week Malaysia approved a law against "fake news" that would allow for prison of up to six years for offenders and the slapping of hefty fines, defying critics who say it was aimed at curbing dissent and free speech ahead of the elections.
On Thursday, Malaysian authorities ordered the temporary dissolution of Mahathir's party because of missing paperwork, a move widely said to be an attempt to hamper the opposition.
"The rationale for this is that among less educated and less informed voters this will neutralize some of the Mahathir effect," said Bridget Welsh, a professor of political science at John Cabot University who specializes in Malaysian politics. She added that while it was a "serious blow" to the opposition, it was expected and may backfire.
Speaking to CNN, Ibrahim Suffian, a political analyst with the Merdeka Center for opinion research said the action taken may likely further "enrage opposition supporters and energize them."
"While the broader impact is hard to measure ... Mahathir and his allies may make some inroads."
The Registrar of Societies official in charge of political party registration, Surayati Ibrahim, was quoted by media as saying that Mahathir's party could appeal against the ruling or reverse the order "if it provides the required documents within 30 days, failing which it will become permanent."
Mahathir said his Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) will appeal, striking a defiant note by adding that the party "will continue to campaign ... we have the right to use our name and logo till the day RoS deregisters us."
However, Wong Chin Huat, a political scientist at Penang Institute, said Mahathir is unlikely to defy the order and will be able to contest under the banner of another opposition party and will still lead the opposition into the election.
"He won't and he can't because the election commission won't accept nomination of candidates under a deregistered party," he added. "And party membership is not even constitutionally required."
Opinion is divided over whether Mahathir has the clout to oust Barisan Nasional, which has ruled uninterrupted since the country's independence in 1957.
"Structurally Najib has a clear advantage given the unlevel playing field and his control of resources, but the election is fluid and the opposition has been gaining ground in recent months,' said Welsh.
"For now, Najib should win, but the campaign is important in Malaysia and can shift or mobilize the ground. Najib government's heavy-handed tactics in the past few weeks have not helped him."
Malaysia's former Prime Minister and current leader of the opposition, Mahathir Mohamad, addresses his supporters during a rally in Shah Alam, outside Kuala Lumpur on March 27, 2016.
Split opinion
Public dissatisfaction with Najib has grown in recent years, especially after news broke over alleged financial mismanagement of a government-run fund called 1Malaysia Development Berhad, or 1MDB.
Najib has been embroiled in accusations that hundreds of millions of dollars were stolen from the fund, which he formed in 2009 to invest in property, infrastructure and energy projects.
The US Justice Department filed lawsuits in 2016, amended earlier this year, to recover more than $1.7 billion that prosecutors said were laundered through the fund, which is headed by Najib.
US justice officials said that between 2009 and 2015, more than $3.5 billion from 1MDB was misappropriated by high-level officials of the board and associates. Besides the United States, several other countries are investigating the fund.
Najib has been accused of siphoning money from the investment fund after $681 million was transferred into his accounts. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing and said the money was donated by a member of the Saudi royal family.
The 1MDB scandal helped galvanize the opposition and prompted Mahathir to forge an alliance with Anwar, who is back behind bars after being found guilty of sodomy a second time in 2015.
They have agreed that if the opposition wins, Mahathir would be an interim prime minister until Anwar is able to obtain a royal pardon for his sodomy conviction, which disqualifies him from contesting the elections or holding office.
Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, is the candidate for the deputy prime minister role.
Rising costs of living and a growing rift among the country's multiracial, multi-religious populace have also dented Najib's popularity.
However, the opposition in Malaysia is weaker now compared with the last election in 2013, when the Barisan Nasional coalition led by Najib limped to the finish line, losing the popular vote and failing to snag a two-thirds majority in parliament.
The opposition has been embroiled in internal squabbles and sullied by scandals of their own and Najib's government has been bolstered by strong economic growth.
"The key factors are turnout and swing," said Wong, the political scientist. "I trust Najib's judgment that an (ethnic) Malay Tsunami is happening [in his party's favor] because the government has an extensive intelligence network. But if turnout is as high as 85 percent, Najib is finished."
