Perak Politics: No majority gives space to minority parties to offer strategic alliance - Analyst

KUALA LUMPUR: The political turmoil in Perak, which saw its Menteri Besar resign due to a lack of majority support in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN), gives space to minority political parties to offer cooperation.

Deputy Director of the Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Associate Professor Dr Kartini Aboo Talib, said the situation is a 'new normal’ when a government does not have a full majority.

"To me, if it is looked at in reality, politics as a whole is still stable despite a change in Menteri Besar (MB).

"The change in MB has taken place peacefully. I assume this is a new common phenomenon for a government that does not have a full majority.

"We see this trend where the emergence of minority parties (forming) a coalition is strategic in nature.

“This group needs a change and a paradigm of political thinking that is ready to accept change and does not consider the change as an unstable one," she said.

Dr Kartini added that the trend is expected to continue until the 15th General Election (GE-15).

"We have to accept the fact that we are no longer facing a government with a clear majority but some minority parties have emerged.

"The need for this leadership election should be based on an excellent track record in addition to charisma, supported and agreed by the State Legislative Assembly and also at the Federal level later.

"So, in the 15th General Election, we will see this trend is still continuing, a shift from the emergence of minority parties and the absence of a full majority," she added.