I - Introduction

Summary

If there is one legacy for which the British can claim credit in Malaysia, it is the parliamentary and electoral system which they left behind. Though the system has been modified, and the rules of the game may have been changed, with more restraints and restrictions being added, the system still allows an element of choice. Since 1957, Malaysia has regularly conducted national elections to determine who should form the government. The 1990 general election, the eighth since independence, is of special interest because it was the first time that a credible, multi-ethnic coalition had emerged to challenge the ruling coalition that has been in office for the past thirty-three years. There were suggestions that with the election, the political system was being and would be transformed – from the dominance of a single party, to a two-coalition system. The opposition was expected to win enough seats to play a more effective role and to become an alternative government in the future, even if it could not take over the reins of government immediately. The results, however, did not confirm the earlier expectations. The ruling coalition was returned to power with more than a two third majority, closing another chapter to Malaysia's electoral history. This paper discusses the events and issues leading up to the 1990 elections, the political parties involved, the alignments they made, the strategies they deployed, the manifestos that were published, and the issues they raised in the campaign. There is also a detailed analysis of the results.