Reformasi (Malaysia)

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The Reformasi movement in Malaysia was initiated by Anwar Ibrahim and his supporters shortly after he was sacked as Deputy Prime Minister in 1998. It consisted of several mass demonstrations and rallies against the Barisan Nasional government, and continued until Anwar was arrested and jailed in late 1998, whereupon it slowly died down. The target of the reformasi campaign was then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who was perceived as corrupt and having stayed too long in office.

[edit] Criticism and commentary

In the 1998 APEC Summit in Kuala Lumpur, the then Vice President of the USA, Al Gore, gave a speech supporting Anwar and the Reformation movement in front of the Prime Minister of Malaysia and other Asia-Pacific premiers.

Said Gore: "Democracy confers a stamp of legitimacy that reforms must have in order to be effective." He went on: "And so, among nations suffering economic crises, we continue to hear calls for democracy, calls for reform, in many languages - People Power, doi moi, reformasi. We hear them today - right here, right now - among the brave people of Malaysia."^[1]

As a political commentator, former Deputy Prime Minister Musa Hitam remarked that "If the reformasi movement and demonstrations could be given any significance in terms of Malaysian politics — if there is anything that I could unhesitatingly come to [consider] a positive conclusion — it never turns racial. It's amazing. ... It is more issue-based than racial. I'm fascinated." Musa commented that prior to reformasi, "any demonstration of any nature in Kuala Lumpur or Penang would always turn racial. Even if they were against the government, they would burn the Chinese shops."^[2]

[edit] Conclusion of reformasi

Reformasi led to the formation of a new multiracial-based party named Parti Keadilan Nasional. In the year 1999, General Election was held. The new Parti Keadilan Nasional, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia, and Democratic Action Party formed a Barisan Alternatif, in a combined initiative to replace the government. For the first time in Malaysia's history, UMNO, a Malay-based party and the dominant party in Barisan Nasional, received less than half of the total Malays' vote.

The Barisan Nasional, however, remained the biggest coalition in the Parliament, owing to large support from non-Malays, who feared the instabilities which might occur if the ruling coalition was toppled, as what happened in May 13,1969. The movement died out after the 1999 General Election, and in the most recent 2003 election, Parti Keadilan Nasional lost all of its seats in Parliament but one, which is held by its President, Wan Azizah, the wife of Anwar Ibrahim.

[edit] Reference

1. ^ Alejandro Reyes. Tim Healy. Asiaweek. Shattered Summit.
2. ^ Hwang, In-Won (2003). Personalized Politics: The Malaysian State under Mahathir, p. 318. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. ISBN 981-230-185-2.