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Thursday, April 4, 2013

Much at stake in Malaysia polls, says ST


SINGAPORE, April 4 — Singapore wants stable politics for its neighbour Malaysia in line with the aspirations of Malaysians for a better future, the Singapore Straits Timessaid in an editorial today on the dissolution of Malaysia’s Parliament.
The daily said Singapore has long and deep economic and cultural ties cultivated over the years with Malaysia, despite past testy episodes. 
“Bilateral ties are currently excellent and it is hoped they will not be held hostage by myopia, however the campaigns progress and whatever the outcome,” it said.
The ST said stakes are high for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN), whose share of parliamentary seats will be treated as a barometer by investors. 
“The electorate will have to choose between it and PR (Pakatan Rakyat), whose left-leaning platform focuses on achieving more balanced economic development across the country — a change that can be made only if PR gains power at the federal level.
“Malaysia has made progress in poverty reduction and income gains. There is sufficient momentum to reach its goal of US$15,000 (RM46,500) per capita income perhaps ahead of 2020, subject, as always, to the vagaries of politics.”
The newspaper said the dissolution of Parliament yesterday marked the completion of a dramatic cycle in Malaysia’s political history. 
“That phase had begun at the last elections of 2008, when the BN coalition government lost its two-thirds parliamentary majority for the first time since the country’s independence in 1957. Thankfully, both the government and the opposition managed to renegotiate their relations under markedly changed circumstances, ensuring that Malaysia’s federal politics pulled through without any debilitating instability.”
It said the recast political landscape saw Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak undertaking economic and legal reforms to put the country on a firmer footing.
“Simultaneously, the winds of change blew swiftly through Malaysia’s wider political culture. An assertive population kept up pressure on the ruling coalition to fulfil its promises, and on opposition politicians to repay voters’ trust.”
The ST said alongside the attention given to headline developments on the national stage — like the proposed high-speed rail link and the handling of the Sabah incursion — all eyes were also Kelantan, Kedah, Selangor and Penang, ruled by the PR coalition. 
“Not only their residents but also other Malaysians wanted to know whether economic growth and hopes of a better life would bear fruit under the stewardship of the opposition.
“Malaysia’s political culture has evolved substantially over the past five years. An increased expectation of good governance, stable political structures, and pro-growth policies combined with pro-equity measures — yardsticks by which both BN and PR are judged — is a telling reflection of a maturing polity,” the editorial said.

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