KUALA LUMPUR
\nLess than a year after taking office, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim faces a critical first test in state elections next month that pits his government against a powerful Islamic opposition.
\nElection Commission chief Abdul Ghani Salleh said Wednesday that over 9.7 million voters will head to the ballot box on Aug. 12 to elect 245 assemblymen for six states.
\nWhile state elections generally do not affect the federal government, it will be closely watched as a gauge of support for Anwar\u2019s unity government that was f ormed after a divisive general election in November.
\nAnwar\u2019s multiethnic Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance won the most seats in November polls but fell short of a majority after many ethnic Malays threw their support behind the Perikatan Nasional (PN) bloc led by former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. The PN bloc includes the conservative Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), that unexpectedly rose to become the single largest party in Parliament.
\nAnwar clinched the premiership after securing the backing of a once-dominant rival, a coalition led by the United Malays National Organization and other smaller parties for a majority to form a unity government. The tie-up between Anwar\u2019s PH and the UMNO-led Barisan Nasional was once unthinkable in Malaysian politics, which has been shaped by long rivalry between the two parties.
\n\u201cThe state elections is the first test of popularity for the unity government on a rather nationwide scale, virtually half of Malaysia,\u201d said Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid, a political science lecturer at the University of Science, Malaysia. \u201cIt\u2019ll test whether the people, especially PH and BN\u2019s supporters who have long regarded each other as rivals, welcome such cooperation or not.\u201d
\nThe formation of Anwar\u2019s unity government came at the behest of the country\u2019s king, who wanted to break the deadlock over the hung Parliament and create stability after a period of political turmoil. Malaysia has had three prime ministers in the past four years before November polls as lawmakers switched allegiance for political mileage.
\nAnwar\u2019s rise to the top job caps a roller-coaster political journey of more than two decades and has eased fears over greater Islamization. His main challenge has been to strengthen his appeal among ethnic Malays, many who view Anwar as too liberal and fear their Islamic identity and economic privileges under a decades-old affirmative action program may be chipped away. Malays form two-thirds of Malaysia\u2019s 33 million people, which include large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.
\nPAS, which aims to create a theocratic state, has stepped up racial and religious rhetorics in recent months as it seeks to expand its influence and show that the unexpected wave of Malay support it won in November was more than a fortuity. Once confined to rural areas, PAS made strong gains in urban areas to win 49 out of 222 Parliamentary seats. It has also not hide its ambition of trying to topple Anwar by gaining support of government lawmakers.
\nThe elections next month will be held in Penang, Selangor \u2014 two of the country\u2019s richest states \u2014 and Negeri Sembilan that were controlled by Anwar\u2019s PH alliance as well as in the rural states of Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu ruled by PAS. Most analysts believe this would remain status quo in the polls, but some say PAS could make further dents on PH\u2019s hold in the three states.
\n\u201cIf PN were to sweep five or all six state governments, the federal government will immediately become shaky, as many Malay MPs may be tempted to switch their support, thereby bringing about the downfall of the Anwar government,\u201d said Oh Ei Sun with Singapore\u2019s Institute of International Affairs
\nIt may not be easy as Anwar\u2019s government has a two-thirds majority in Parliament, the strongest ever in 15 years. Many are also wary of triggering another bout of political unrest amid a slow economic recovery.
\nA lot will depend on UMNO\u2019s performance. The UMNO-led coalition ruled Malaysia since the country\u2019s independence from Britain in 1957 until its downfall in 2018 general election amid anger over government corruption. UMNO\u2019s president, who is now one of Anwar\u2019s two deputies, is on trial for graft. If UMNO performs badly, analysts said it could trigger a revolt by anti-Anwar factions and lead to a rethink of their alliance.
\n\u201cThe polls are mainly a battle for Malay votes as both sides realize that the stability of any government in Malaysia rests on support from Malaysia\u2019s majority community,\u201d said analyst Ahmad Fauzi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KUALA LUMPUR Less than a year after taking office, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim faces a critical first test in state elections next month that pits his government against a powerful Islamic opposition. Election Commission chief Abdul Ghani Salleh said Wednesday that over 9.7 million voters will head to the ballot box on Aug. 12 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":341605,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-341565","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n