Secular dealignment and party system transition in Malaysia
The Malaysian electoral behaviour has for some time reflected the ‘partisan identification’ thesis. Since 1999, however, there has been a marked shift towards ‘secular dealignment’. Analyses of electoral and survey data reveal that although a significant number of Malaysian voters remained attach...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2013
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| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/45432/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/45432/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/45432/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/45432/1/secular_dealignment_of_party_system.pdf |
| Summary: | The Malaysian electoral behaviour has for some time reflected the ‘partisan
identification’ thesis. Since 1999, however, there has been a marked shift towards ‘secular
dealignment’. Analyses of electoral and survey data reveal that although a significant
number of Malaysian voters remained attached to the party they identified with, most of
the electorate, however, are swayed by short-term factors. Though the economic issues
played a role in the three elections, it is the leadership of the parties supplemented by
the use of mass media that played a significant role in swinging the vote from one party
to the other. The three elections in 1999, 2004, and 2008 can be categorized as evidence
of secular dealignment: the 1999 elections substantially reduced the margin of gain by
the ruling coalition; the 2004 elections reversed the opposition gain, while the 2008
elections resulted in the loss of two-thirds majority seats in the parliament habitually
enjoyed by the ruling coalition and the emergence of a strong opposition coalition.
This trend not merely continued but was much more stronger in the 13th Malaysian
general election. |
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