Description
On 9 May 2018, in what most Malaysians and foreign observers regard as a watershed event in our country's political history, voters across the country rejected the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition in favour of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition to run the country for the next five years. The scale and impact of the Pakatan victory in its immediate impression as well as aftermath amounted to not just a gentle tidal wave with ripple effects confined to the changing of the guard in Parliament and state assemblies. It is turning out to be a tsunami which is sweeping away what many people in the country have for long regarded as an invincible political behemoth.
But whether its accompanying waves can reshape the country's political economy and body politic for the better, and what kind of new Malaysia will emerge from this tsunami, remains to be seen. For now, even as the new government stumbles in fulfilling its election manifesto promises, many see the significance alone of the ending of over 60 years of unbroken Alliance/ BN rule as a historic event, perhaps even a second 'Merdeka'.
In the analysis of the 14th general election (GE14), a common point of view shared by most commentators is how unexpected the outcome of the nation's election was.
ISBN:9789672165347
