A few days back, I went to Malaysia for a short business trip. Out of curiosity I asked all my taxi drivers what they thought of the coming elections. A quick summary of the situation, the 5th May 2013 will be the General Election for Malaysia where Malaysians will vote for a new government. The current ruling party, the Barisan Nasional, has been the same since the independence of Malaysia, some 56 years ago. The current government had been increasingly challenged and seemed to show real signs of anxiety. For the first time, this election sees a possible chance of switching government.
Flags in every street from all political parties
First driver, Malay
He does not like the current Prime Minister as well as the wife who has a reputation of a spendthrift. He told me that this is the first Prime Minister that has created an office of the First Lady (FLOM), which was strongly criticized. He is fully aware that the current government’s willingness to give money to the people (1000RM for all employees of Petronas, student aid, book vouchers, senior citizen financial aid) under the guise of economic struggles has a political purpose. He also criticized the fact that members of the Barisan Nasional have easier access to housing. He would like changes in the current political landscape.
Second driver, Indian
He criticized the government by saying that the Barisan Nasional lies to the people, using the people’s money for their own benefit. The current climate is not healthy for minority races (Chinese and Indian) which leads to brain drain as more non-Malay Malaysians students are moving away to foreign country. He finds that even the Malays complain of lost business opportunities because they are not members of Barisan Nasional and he is also aware of the political purpose behind the cash handouts. For him, the opposition has little chance of winning the elections but there is a chance the Barisan Nasional could lose the majority in the parliament.
Third driver, Malay (living in a small village 60km from Kuala Lumpur renting a house for 300RM per month)
He is satisfied with the current government. He finds that the economic situation is good and dynamic and people have what they need.
Fourth driver, Indian
He thinks that people are far from stupid and they can vote for whoever they want, although they have received money from Barisan Nasional and seeing flags put up everywhere. A practice that he finds ridiculous, it is not the number of flags that will influence the voters. He is not really convinced by the political strength of the opposition which is a collaboration of three parties with divergence. He particularly fears the radical Islamic party that wants to turn Malaysia into an Islamic country. He is satisfied with the current Prime Minister, who is doing his job correctly (as opposed to a previous Minister). He thinks that the Barisan Nasional will win the elections.
Fifth driver, Indian
He thinks the current government gives a lot of scholarships to Malay students while Chinese or Indian students with good academic results struggle to have one. For housing, he told me that the Barisan Nasional negotiates with developers a 7 – 15% discount for Malay who wants to buy a home, else the project is not approved. He also fears radical Islamic party in the opposition.