5 wild cards that could influence the Malaysian election
Received wisdom is that the economy will dominate proceedings when Malaysians goes to the polls, but in what’s shaping up as a knife-edge contest these twists and turns could make all the difference
But the past week of official campaigning has sprung a few surprises and could well provide new twists. Here is a closer look at five factors that have surfaced as potential wild cards that could shape the decisions of nearly 15 million voters when they head to the polls.
ISLAMIST PAS: SPOILER OR KINGMAKER?
The Islamist party Parti Islam se-Malaysia (Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, or PAS) was a stalwart in the opposition alliance forged by jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim until 2015, when it was ejected because of its position on expanding sharia law in the country.
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It won 21 seats in the 2013 election, but seven of its parliamentarians later defected to join the rebranded Pakatan Harapan alliance helmed by Mahathir.
The one-time prime minister quit the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), linchpin party of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, in 2016 citing a lack of confidence in Najib over his alleged involvement in the multibillion-dollar financial scandal at state fund 1MDB.
Umno serves to secure the support of the majority race in the country, the Malays.
Mahathir went on to create an alternative party, the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Malaysian United Indigenous Party), which together with older opposition parties such as Anwar’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (National Justice Party) and the Democratic Action Party (DAP), and the PAS breakaway party Parti Amanah Negara (National Trust Party), form Pakatan Harapan.