Incumbency and patronage politics in Malaysia’s GE15

ABSTRACT

Malaysia’s 15th general election (GE15) in November 2022 took place on the back of a tumultuous period in which the country experienced government alternation several times at federal and state levels from 2018. This article primarily addresses whether incumbency advantages were prevalent, and if so, how and when? Based on interviews and documentary data, the article concludes that, especially in a post-pandemic setting, incumbency mattered. However, Barisan Nasional (BN) experienced a form of ‘unrealised incumbency’. Without institutional reforms, trends in GE15 indicate that patronage and dependence on politicians for welfare gains seem to be a mainstay of Malaysian politics.

KEYWORDS:

• Patronage
• Malaysia
• incumbency advantages
• patronage politics
• party incumbency

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Shahril Hamdan (UMNO candidate and Information Chief), Interview with Yeoh, 16 February 2023, on Zoom.

2. Saifuddin Abdullah, Interview with Yeoh, 18 January 2023, Kuala Lumpur.

3. Shahril Hamdan, Interview with Yeoh, 16 February 2023, on Zoom.

4. For example, Chair of the National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN) Wan Saiful Wan Jan (also a Bersatu Kedah candidate in GE14) was accused of bias when PTPTN donated RM1 million to the Kedah zakat board (Malaysiakini, 2018).

5. For a comprehensive background on CDFs, see policy paper by Sri Murniati et al. (2021).

6. PN MPs could write to Azmin Ali, Minister of Economic Affairs, to obtain an additional RM2.5 million from the Economic Planning Unit (Saifuddin Abdullah, Interview with Yeoh, 18 January 2023, Kuala Lumpur).

7. This programme was called Gerai Jualan Prihatin (Caring Shopping Stall) and was organised by Ronald Kiandee. Saifuddin Abdullah, Interview with Yeoh, 18 January 2023, Kuala Lumpur.

8. Saifuddin Abdullah (Bersatu candidate), Interview with Yeoh, 18 January 2023, Kuala Lumpur.

9. Anonymous, Interview with Meredith Weiss, 7 November 2022, Johor.

10. Sivabalan (Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad’s Service Centre officer), Interview with Yeoh and Lee Hwok Aun, 14 November 2022, Kuala Selangor.

11. Ibid.

12. Amiruddin Shari (Selangor Chief Minister), campaign rally, 16 November 2022, Selangor.

13. That people ‘know me and trust me’, so he does not have to say he’s MCA or BN (Liow Tiong Lai, MCA candidate, Interview with Weiss, 9 November 2022, Pahang); that DAP has ‘problems’ in the area, given ‘communist assumptions’, so she never brings up the party, but just ‘myself’ (Young Syefura, DAP candidate, Interview with Weiss, 8 November 2022, Pahang); Shahril Hamdan’s posters did not feature UMNO’s logo; ‘PBM is a new party, but people aren’t new’, and she has extensive experience in politics (Zuraida Kamaruddin, PBM candidate, Campaign Rally, 18 November 2022, Ampang); ‘My strength here is not my party … my strength here is me’, so people can accept her for her work even if they don’t care for Bersatu (Mas Ermieyati, Bersatu candidate, Interview with Weiss, 6 November 2022, Malacca); ‘I am what I am … the same Saifuddin’ in Pakatan as now (Saifuddin Abdullah, Interview with Weiss, 16 November 2022, Pahang).

14. Dr Muhammad Faiz Na’aman (Bersatu candidate), Interview with Weiss, 9 November 2022, Perak.

15. Nik Abdul Razak, (AMANAH candidate), Interview with Aira Azhari, 17 November 2022, Penang.

16. Adly Zahari, Khairol Najib Hashim (AMANAH candidates), Interviews with Aira, 16 and 17 November 2022, Malacca and Perak.

17. Afiqah Zulkifli (Syed Saddiq’s campaign manager), Lim Wei Jiet (MUDA candidate) and Ainie Haziqah (Lim’s campaign manager), Tarmizi Anuwar (MUDA candidate Mutalib’s treasurer), Interviews with Aira, 15 and 16 November 2022, Johor.

18. Sivabalan, Interview with Yeoh and Lee, 14 November 2022, Kuala Selangor.

19. Ibid.

20. Sim Tze Tzin (PKR candidate), campaign speech, 12 November 2022, Penang.

21. Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (PKR candidate), Interview with Weiss, 17 November 2022, Kuala Lumpur.

22. Afiqah Zulkifli, Interview with Aira, 15 November, Johor.

23. Shamsul Iskandar (PKR candidate), Interview with Weiss, 9 November 2022, Perak.

24. Anonymous (Muhyiddin’s campaign officer), Interview with Weiss, 7 November 2022, Johor.

25. Johari Abdul Ghani (UMNO candidate), campaign rally, 17 November 2022, Kuala Lumpur.

26. Khairy Jamaluddin, campaign rally, 17 November 2022, Selangor.

27. Five littoral combat ships were commissioned by the Ministry of Defence worth RM9 billion, but were never delivered to the government.

28. Shahril Hamdan, Interview with Yeoh, 16 February 2023, on Zoom.

29. Ibid.

30. Ibid.

31. It is important to recall that towards the end of Muhyiddin Yassin’s premiership, his administration was labelled a failed government (kerajaan gagal). However, this seems to have faded from memory, given high opinion ratings of the government’s pandemic management.

32. Cik Faisal (PKR staff), Interview with Weiss, 15 November 2022, Kelantan.

33. George Eng Guan (DAP election worker), Interview with Weiss, 7 November 2022, Johor.