Miscalculations that caused the vote swing

In the aftermath of the political tsunami last Saturday that led to the Barisan Nasional losing its traditional two-thirds majority and five states, many of its leaders are saying the coalition needs to do some soul searching. Since they are only now starting to do it, it might take some time for them to figure out exactly what went wrong. To help them along, I've compiled three key miscalculations the government made that led to vote swings in all three communities, Malay, Indian and Chinese.

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Why Penang Fell to the Opposition

During the 2004 election, as a journalist, I chose to cover Kinta Valley because it was by and by far the most interesting hotspot around. DAP's Lim Kit Siang had made Perak a frontline state and the competition was bound to be fierce. This time around, there were several hotspots but Penang was the hottest of the hotspots. Both DAP and Keadilan had decided Penang would be their frontline state. So, although I was no longer a journalist, I had to be there. I took leave to cover the last three days leading to polling day.

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The Anwar Ibrahim effect

To suggest that Mr Anwar, who is barred from holding office until April, was the main factor in determining the March election date gives the opposition figure too much credit. However, he still has some impact on Malaysian politics. The question is, just how much impact can he have on the polls?

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BN vs Opposition - Their best arguments for themselves and against the other

In the United States there are political consultants who make a living advising political parties. Imagine if the Barisan Nasional and the Opposition here were to hire political consultants to advise them for the upcoming general election.

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Do we have free and fair elections?

Let's try to define what "free and fair elections" is and isn't. Firstly, the very fact that you hold elections regularly does not by itself mean they are "free and fair" since dictators can rig the election process. Remember how Saddam Hussein used to win 100% of the votes? But even if there is no vote-rigging, that alone does not make elections "free and fair". There need to be an even playing field for all sides. No system is perfect, of course, but some election systems are freer and fairer than others.

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