Was It a Malay Tsunami? Deconstructing the Malay Vote in Malaysia’s 2018 Election

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn the aftermath of Malaysia’s 14th general election, many were quick to posit that it was a Malay tsunami – an electoral revolt of ethnic Malay voters – for the opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition that tipped the scales. A closer analysis of sentiments on the ground, however, indicates that the Malay vote was one against former Prime Minister Najib Razak, and not necessarily one in support of the then-opposition. While soaring costs of living, the goods and services tax and corruption (to varying degrees) were the main bugbears that drove votes against the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, the Malay vote, whether rural or urban, is far from homogenous; sweeping characterisations of their voting preferences could be inaccurate. This article uses both primary data and secondary literature to explore the intricacies of the Malay vote with a view to deriving a preliminary typology of Malay voting tendencies.