Tracking Events in Malaysia

Or how to return to the 7th century in one easy election.

First some background.

Ethnic Malays - who are all regarded as Muslim by the state - make up about 65% of the population, while ethnic Chinese and Indians - mostly Buddhist, Christian or Hindu - account for most of the other 35%.

They recently had elections. So let me introduce you to the main parties. First up is the PAS (Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party). They are led by a man named Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

The other party is the Barisan Nasional (National Front).

The PAS needs to broaden its appeal so it has dropped any mention of its 2004 pledge to introduce a theocratic government, focusing instead on healthcare reform, racial equality and keeping prices down. [ed- Sounds like the Dems]

The National Front, meanwhile, is tempting people with promises of huge investment - more mosques are on the cards.

The Malaysian national government recently made a law that only Muslims may utter the word allah and have begun confiscating Bibles at the border. In other words they are a moderate Muslim culture.
The writer of the article closes with this gem.

But whatever the rows about the extent to which Malaysia should embrace Islam, this is a country where the most conservative state has just welcomed the western retail behemoth that is Tesco.

There is no going back from that.

Did I mention that the PAS only controlled one state?

Now flash forward to today. The elections were held on March 8.

The opposition emerged from last month's general election with unprecedented support; more MPs in parliament than ever before and control of five of Malaysia's 13 states.

So the Islamic Party went from control of one state to now controlling five states. And now they are going after the democratic economic policies that have helped to bring Malaysia into the 20th century. They have a program called the New Economic Policy (NEP). The PAS claims that it is full of corruption and should be ended. I don't know if it is or not but if they are like anywhere else in the world anytime the government administers a program it is open to corruption.

There are other changes coming also.

The change has been quick and not just in Penang, the scene of the most overwhelming opposition victory.

There has been talk of restrictions on alcohol or entertainment in states won by the opposition.

Oh yeah, they changed the name of the party to People's Alliance.

Europe, are you paying attention? How about you Canada? Do you see how it starts and where it leads? Malaysia has it's own silicone valley with companies like Intel and Motorola having factories there. If this new "opposition" party has its' way Malaysia will return to the 7th century and the companies doing business there need to start looking now for new locations.

Remember that Tesco that was mentioned earlier in the story.

When customers come to pay at the new Tesco supermarket in Kota Bharu they have to queue separately - one till for men, another for women.