Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim won 32,000 of 47,000 votes cast in a by-election against opposition leader Arif Shah Omar Shah, from the ruling United Malays National Organization
Leading Muslim democrat Anwar Ibrahim edged closer to power today when the country’s leading Islamist party endorsed him, hours after his resounding victory in Tuesday’s by-election. Anwar will be sworn in as a member of parliament on Thursday.
‘’The victory signals that Malaysians irrespective of race or religion have rejected the ruling coalition (led by the United Malay National Organization). They want change and they believe only Anwar can make the change that the country urgently needs,” said Bridget Welsh, South-east Asian politics specialist at John Hopkins University.
Anwar triumphed despite a campaign of government harassment, including trumped-up sodomy charges and scheduling the by-election on a working week-day instead of the normal weekend polling day in an attempt to reduce voter turnout. The opposition’s multi-ethnic coalition, backed by energized civil society groups, made spectacular gains in the March 8 general election, slicing the National Front’s parliamentary majority to only 30-seats.
But observers believe the Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) will be an awkward partner since it remains committed to an Islamic state and the diverse “rainbow coalition” also includes secular liberals and an ethnic Chinese party.
The opposition aims to win power by persuading at least 30 members of the ruling coalition to defect in a September vote of confidence. But the country’s racial and religious balance is a highly sensitive factor that could impede efforts to form a sustainable coalition.
“Even if he managed to get 30 MPs, it has to be of the correct distribution in terms of the Malay-Muslims and non-Malay-Muslims,” notes one observer. “It has to be in such a way that it won’t upset the Malay-Muslims who are dominant in Pakatan Rakyat (Anwar’s coalition), otherwise PAS may leave.” he said.
Investors and analysts have expressed confidence in Anwar’s policies and leadership but some have questioned his ability to deliver “when and if he does become prime minister, given that the opposition coalition that he leads is comprised of three parties with widely differing agendas and ideologies“.
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