Despite Pakatan Demise, Two-party System Far from Dead, Analysts Say

Malay Mail Online

22 June 2015

KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 — The creation of a two-party system to even out the balance of political power in Malaysia remains possible — even inevitable — according to analysts, even as Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is left in tatters by the acrimonious split between DAP and PAS.

Dismissing claims that the country was already practising a two-party system when PR was still together, the political analysts said the federal opposition parties have little choice but to regroup under such an arrangement it they intend to capitalise on the groundswell against the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN).

… Malaysia will almost certainly see a “two- or more-” party system take root as the momentum of political democratisation picks up, says Oh Ei Sun of the Nanyang Technological University, even if it could potentially be weighed down by the rise of social conservatism in “some communities”.

The senior fellow with Nanyang’s Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies admitted, however, that the country still has to deal with short-sighted pragmatism among political parties that lack the direction of longstanding progressive principles.

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Last updated on 16/11/2015