With
all eyes on an impending general election in Malaysia, the acquittal of
opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on a sodomy charge suggests the date may come
sooner rather than later, observers say.
That means Malaysians could be heading to the
ballot boxes in the next few months, although an election does not have to be
called until the middle of next year.
If Datuk Seri Anwar had been found guilty, it
would likely have stoked public anger and generated support for the opposition,
making it hard for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) and its dominant party Umno
to contemplate early polls.
"No matter what we would say, voters
would have accused Umno of using its influence to jail Anwar," said
assemblyman Suraya Yaacob, a leader in Umno's women's wing. "It would've
been impossible for us to defend ourselves to them."
The acquittal however removes that sympathy
factor. For the undecided fence sitter, the acquittal also returns some
credibility to the BN and continues building on Prime Minister Najib Razak's
image as a moderate reformist.
The ruling coalition was quick to point out,
soon after Mr Anwar walked free on Monday, that the judgment proved that the
judiciary was independent and that the government held no sway over it.
Datuk Seri Najib can now continue to build
momentum by making good on his promise of repealing the Internal Security Act
in Parliament in March, said political analyst Ong Kian Ming, who specialises
in electoral analysis. The announcement about doing away with the unpopular
law, made last September, had won Mr Najib widespread praise.
"In the light of these developments, it
makes sense not to delay the election," said Dr Ong.
Analysts pointed out that a series of generous
handouts being dished out these few months have also sweetened the electoral
ground.
Starting next week, for instance, households
with a monthly income of RM3,000 (US$954) and below would receive an
unprecedented one-off handout of RM500 from the government, to help them cope
with the rising cost of living.
More than 80 per cent of households in
Malaysia are expected to benefit from this scheme.
This comes on top of a recent one-off handout
to all primary and secondary school students, as well as RM200 book vouchers
for all students in public and private local institutions of higher learning.
"If Najib calls the election too late,
the people might forget about these handouts," said political analyst
Sivamurugan Pandian. "The benefits might also be lost on them, if the
global economy takes a turn for the worse later this year."
Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin
yesterday said that BN's preparations for the next general election will
continue as usual, despite Mr Anwar's acquittal.
"Whatever the decision, it was the
court's. We prepare for the elections not because we are under pressure, then
only we get cracking. We have been working as usual," he told reporters.
But Mr Najib has also gained a reputation as a
cautious operator, under pressure to return a two-thirds parliamentary majority
to the BN.
As such, there may still be surprises in the
coming months which may affect the timing of the election, noted former Gerakan
leader and political observer Hsu Dar Ren.
A controversy over the alleged misuse of
public funds for a cattle project, for instance, flared two months ago, and
continues to threaten the position of Umno's women's wing chief Shahrizat
Jalil.
Datuk Seri Shahrizat's husband heads the
cattle project.
"Najib will have to settle outstanding
issues like this before he calls for an election," said Dr Hsu.
Teo Cheng Wee
The Straits Times
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