Mahathir's party, Anwar-led opposition to clash

Mahathir's party, Anwar-led opposition to clash

By Gwen Benjamin

KUALA LUMPUR (DPA): Malaysia's Nov. 29 general election will
see mostly hotly-contested "one-on-one" fights between Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad's ruling government and an opposition
alliance led by his former protege and now political arch-rival,
Anwar Ibrahim.

As nominations closed Saturday for parties to register their
candidates for the parliamentary and state elections, the battle
appears to be mainly between Mahathir's 14-party Barisan Nasional
(National Front) coalition and the four-party Alternative Front
opposition alliance.

The Alternative Front, which came into being only in April and
which was derided by Barisan leaders as a rag-tag "marriage of
convenience" alliance, kept a pre-election pact to field only a
single candidate in each seat so as not to split the opposition
vote.

However, Anwar, whom the Front wants to appoint as Malaysia's
premier if it wins the election, disappointed his supporters by a
last-minute decision not to run for office from behind bars.

Anwar, whose sacking by Mahathir last year and subsequent six-
year jail term for corruption united Malaysia's once-fragmented
opposition, opted not to contest for fear he would be
disqualified because of his conviction.

The 73-year-old Mahathir, who is seeking a record fifth five-
year term, is confident of retaining the Barisan's two-third's
sweep of the 193 parliamentary seats at stake, although the
opposition Front is convinced they can prevent this.

The Barisan held 166 of the 192 parliamentary seats when the
lower house was dissolved last week after Mahathir called the
snap election ahead of next August's deadline.

State elections for a total of 394 seats will also be held for
11 of Malaysia's 13 state legislatures on Nov. 29.

Mahathir, whose government has been in office for 18 years, is
defending his Kubang Pasu parliamentary seat in Kedah state where
he is challenged by a candidate from the fundamentalist Pan-
Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS).

Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, is running in her
husband's Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat in Penang where she
is challenged in a "grudge match" by the Barisan's Ibrahim Saad,
a close Anwar aide who is now considered a turncoat by Anwar's
supporters.

The Alternative Front is optimistic that public outrage over
Anwar's treatment can deny the Barisan its usual two-third's
majority sweep, or even cause an upset victory.

It says it offers Malaysians a choice from the Barisan, which
has been in power since independence in 1957, and which has
steadily eroded many basic rights of the people as well as
getting bloated with corruption, nepotism and cronysim.

However, few expect the powerful Barisan to be toppled in the
polls, although some feel the ruling coalition will return to
power with a much reduced majority.

Political analysts cite several reasons why the Barisan will
sail through, the most important being that the multi-ethnic 14-
party Barisan has a total combined membership of four million.
That's almost half of the 9.7 million voters eligible to vote in
the polls.

Mahathir's success in turning around Malaysia's worst-ever
economic recession with minimum social cost, unlike in some
neighboring countries, is also a major factor why Malaysians
would opt for the Barisan even if they are sympathetic towards
Anwar.

The country's pro-government media, a bane to the opposition
which complains of biased reporting, is also a powerful tool in
swaying public opinion.

On Saturday, most local dailies carried huge advertisements
for the Barisan, which words like "42 Years of Proven Track
Record", "Why End It?" and "Don't Gamble Our Future".

The Alternative Front comprises PAS, the Wan Azizah-led
National Justice Party (Keadilan), the ethnic Chinese-based
Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the tiny Malaysian People's
Party (PRM).

Voting among Malaysia's 22 million people have always been
along racial lines. Moslem Malays form slightly over half of the
population, with Chinese making up one-third and Indians one-
tenth.

A recent newspaper survey found Chinese and Indian respondents
solidly backing the Barisan, reflecting their fears over violent
anti-government street protests that have been staged by mostly
Malay supporters of Keadilan and PAS since Anwar's sacking.

Although no one was killed in the riots, the Chinese were
deeply rattled by the unrest, coming so soon after bloody anti-
Chinese riots in neighboring Indonesia. Malaysia experienced with
the riots between the Malays and Chinese in 1969.

The Chinese and Indian voters, seen as "decision makers" in
the upcoming election as the Malay vote is split over the Anwar
issue, are also warned by Barisan politicians that the Islamist
PAS party will form an Islamic state once the Alternative Front
seizes power.

PAS, the country's biggest opposition party, has ruled
northeastern Kelantan state since 1990 where discos, gambling and
liquor sales are banned, and where supermarkets and cinemas have
segregated areas for men and women.