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PERMATANG PAUH, Malaysia: Malaysian Premier Najib Razak and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim kicked off their rival campaigns yesterday for May 5 elections likely to be the country’s closest ever.
The two competitors joined hundreds of parliamentary candidates across the nation in submitting nomination papers in their respective constituencies, marking the start of a two-week campaign that will be hard-fought.
“I am confident that the (ruling coalition) team contesting will transform Malaysia to greater heights,” Najib said on his Twitter feed. Anwar registered in the northern state of Penang.
“The next two weeks are going to be a tough tumble, especially for the opposition but, God willing, we can manage,” Anwar told reporters.
Anwar leads a diverse three-party alliance that hopes to unseat a coalition controlled by the powerful United Malays National Organization (UMNO), which has dominated Malaysia since independence in 1957.
The opposition Pakatan Rakyat (People’s Pact) alliance aims to build on momentum from 2008 elections in which it tripled its seats in Parliament, taking a third of a chamber long under the grip of UMNO and its allies.
Under UMNO’s Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition, resource-rich Malaysia developed into a prosperous Southeast Asian economy.
But ruling-coalition support has ebbed amid voter impatience with corruption, rising crime and living costs, and Barisan’s use of authoritarian tactics and divisive racial politics.
Most of multi-ethnic Malaysia’s 29 million people are moderate-Muslim ethnic Malays who enjoy political supremacy and economic advantages over sizeable Chinese, Indian, and other minorities.
Malaysians have feverishly awaited the election as speculation has mounted over a potential opposition win, which would mark the country’s first-ever regime change.
From the bustling capital of Kuala Lumpur to the smallest villages, roadways are festooned in a riot of color from the flags of Malaysia’s many political parties.
Most political observers expect the ruling bloc to win with a reduced parliamentary majority but some say the result is too close to call.
Najib’s office has announced he will skip a Southeast Asian summit next week in Brunei to focus on campaigning, becoming the first Malaysian leader to miss the annual gathering.