Malaysia GE will end up with another fractious coalition, with splintering support

MALAYSIA’S parliament was dissolved on Monday (Oct 10), paving the way for a general election (GE) which the government hopes will end political instability, as well as help it move on from the embarrassment of one of the world’s biggest corruption scandals involving the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) sovereign wealth fund.

But few people are optimistic that things will pan out that way. The ruling United Malays National Organisation (Umno) had rushed to hold polls that had only been due by September 2023 as some of its leaders – including former prime minister and ex-1MDB chairman Najib Razak and party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi – face long jail terms over graft charges.

The GE – which must be held within 60 days from the dissolution of parliament, but is widely expected to take place in November – is unusual in many ways.  Quite a number of states will not be conducting state elections, making the GE not so general, said Tan Teng Boo, the managing director of Capital Dynamics.