Ikhtisar analisis Pilihan Raya Umum 1978 hingga 2013 di Malaysia (An overview of general election dynamics in Malaysia 1978 – 2013)

Abstract

Pilihan raya adalah elemen penting dalam sistem demokrasi. Dalam konteks Malaysia, pilihan raya telah diadakan sejak 1955 sebelum merdeka dan tahun 1959 selepas merdeka. Tulisan ini menganalisis PRU 1978 hingga 2013 untuk melihat dinamika pencapaian parti-parti politik di Malaysia. Relevan PRU 1978 dipilih kerana PAS telah dikeluarkan dari gabungan BN dan bermula dari itulah persaingan politik antara BN dan parti-parti oposisi menjadi semakin dinamik dan menarik. Ini kerana terdapatnya jatuh bangun pencapaian parti politik sepanjang PRU 1978- 2013. Krisis dalaman parti dan konflik kepimpinan menjadi salah satu faktor yang penting dalam mempengaruhi kebanyakan keputusan PRU. Bagi parti oposisi, krisis dalaman UMNO/BN memberi manfaat dan kelebihan kepada mereka dalam beberapa siri PRU sehingga berjaya menawan beberapa negeri dan menafikan majoriti dua pertiga BN bagi kerusi parlimen. Di samping itu, kerjasama antara parti oposisi turut menjadi faktor penting dalam mempengaruhi keputusan PRU serta mewarnai politik pilihan raya di Malaysia.

Katakunci: Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah (APU), Barisan Alternatif (BA), Pakatan Rakyat (PR), peratus keluar mengundi, krisis dalaman parti, krisis kepimpinan

In a democracy, elections are imperative elements. In the Malaysian context, elections had been held since before independence in 1955 and after independence in 1959. This paper analyses the general elections held since 1978 till 2013 to decipher the dynamics of the achievement of political parties in Malaysia. The 1978 general elections were chosen as the focal point of analysis because PAS was taken out of the BN coalition from where onwards the political competition between BN and the opposing political parties became more dynamic and intriguing. During the 1978-2013 study period it was observed that the downfalls and successful achievements of the political parties in many general elections were caused mainly by internal party crises and leadership conflicts. For the opposition, the internal UMNO-BN crises gave benefits and advantages to them in a few series of the general elections until they succeeded in taking over a few states and thus reduced the BN two-thirds majority in the parliament. Other than that, the radical and unprecedented cooperation and collaborations between opposition parties had also become an important factor in influencing the general election results and made political elections in Malaysia all the more colourful.

Keywords: Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah (APU), Barisan Alternatif (BA), internal party crisis, leadership crisis, Pakatan Rakyat (PR), percentage of voting turnout