Some have likened it to an "earthquake," while others have called it a "tsunami." However it is billed, Malaysia's election outcome still reverberates far and wide. Its political aftershocks yield lessons and considerations for politics in Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand, which holds the dubious distinction as the only parliamentary system in this region that does not know when it will next stage a poll.
First, a broader lesson merits scrutiny.
Some analysts have deemed Malaysia's massive election result in favour of the opposition – Pakatan Harapan (PH), or Alliance of Hope – as a "modernisation tsunami". PH garnered 113 seats and around 47% of the popular vote, and trounced the incumbent Barisan Nasional (BN), or National Front, which won 79 seats and 35% of the popular vote. The lopsided results were unexpected, as all polls and indications suggested BN would somehow eke out a victory as it did in previous contests in 2008 and 2013. Other parties that were awarded a place in the 222-member parliament were Parti Islam Malaysia (PAS) with 18, Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) with eight, and the State Reform Party (STAR) and Independents with one and two, respectively.
