Publications and Expert Comments

These elections were keenly anticipated by the Malaysian public due to a generalised disaffection with the Barisan Nasional government headed by Datuk Seri Najib Razak. The prime minister was faced with a growing, widespread rejection of his government  by the Chinese community as well as sectors of the ethnic Malay community, due to cases of corruption and abuse of power, policies of racial discrimination in favour of the Malay majority, and its handling of the economy. All of these factors brought about a rise in ethnic and religious tensions during his term in office.