Tag: United Kingdom general election, February 1974

Malaysia's coming general election has long been expected to be explosive, given the tense build-up since the last polls in 2013 which saw the opposition making significant inroads. But if the results are not in Umno's favour, the opposition expects Datuk Seri Najib to draw his one last weapon: emergency rule. On the first flank, the Registrar of Societies (ROS) ordered the temporary suspension of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM aka Bersatu) - the Umno breakaway led by the man of the hour, Dr Mahathir - for not holding branch elections. Meanwhile, a second flank in the legal war was opened when the Group of 16 within Umno sued their party for failing to hold internal elections within the three-year limit imposed by the party's Constitution. But waiting for the court's ruling can be excruciating. Both BN and PH are Malay-led. But the flux in Malay politics is, by extension, throwing the whole political landscape into fluidity, given the central role of the Malay or Malay-dominant parties on both sides of the political divide. But if the results are not in Umno's favour, the opposition expects Datuk Seri Najib to draw his one last weapon: emergency rule. Dr Mahathir has even hinted of some "well-known BN leaders looking to join Pakatan". A PH government will provide a fresh change in leadership, governance and perhaps even approach to nation-building.