High cost of living, Fake News Act among reasons why Pakatan won, say analysts

KUALA LUMPUR: For the first time in Malaysian history, the long-ruling Barisan Nasional coalition stared at defeat as it lost to Pakatan Harapan whose victory – aided by the sweeping tsunami rakyat nationwide – saw it win 113 of the 222 parliamentary seats in the 14th general election (GE14) on Wednesday (May 10).

The GE14 results clearly show that Malaysians have voted for change, rejecting the 63-year Barisan reign which finally came to an end at the hands of Pakatan, a loose coalition comprising Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), DAP, Parti Amanah Negara and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.

Besides maintaining the mandate in Selangor and Penang, Pakatan also conquered Negri Sembilan, Melaka, Johor and won enough seats to form the Federal Government.

It also almost captured Kedah, Perak and Sabah.

Analysts said among the reasons why Barisan did not win was the wave factor of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who was seen as the right leader to solve the nation's woes such as the high cost of living, debts and bankruptcy.

Other issues involved the sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the alleged Felda Jalan Semarak land grab and the Anti-Fake News Act which was passed just before GE14.

Associate Professor Dr Ahmad Marthada Mohamed described the Barisan defeat as having been caused by a rare Malay tsunami in both urban and rural areas, in which the people had to rise to show their dissatisfaction with some government policies leading to the high cost of living.

“We have not seen a Malay tsunami for a long time and today, we see traditional Umno and Barisan strongholds are now under Pakatan control.

“This is because of the high cost of living, an issue very close to the hearts of rural Malays, especially.

“The rural rakyat has been feeling the pinch, suffering and facing difficulties. That is why they wanted to show the Barisan government that these issues must be solved delicately and efficiently,” said the College of Law, Government and International Studies dean at Universiti Utara Malaysia.

On the other hand, he said, Dr Mahathir was continuously emphasising abolishing the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which had a great impact on the cost of living.

Universiti Sains Malaysia political scientist Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian attributed Barisan’s shocking loss to the silent majority which had spoken, and the sentiment of GST, cost of living and the Mahathir-wave, among others. – Bernama