Professor Bridget Welsh Discusses Upcoming Elections in Malaysia

Professor Bridget Welsh

As Malaysia prepares for its contentious 14th General Elections, Malaysia expert and John Cabot Associate Professor of Political Science Bridget Welsh, discusses the country’s electoral playing field. Malaysia’s Najib Tun Razak government introduced controversial new electoral boundaries, heavily criticized by the opposition and independent analysts for its unfairness. The new boundaries are deeply malapportioned and gerrymandered, giving the incumbent government in power since 1957, an unfair electoral advantage. Welsh speaks about the new techniques being adopted and their potential electoral impact in the news. She also discusses the controversial new “fake news” bill being discussed in the Malaysian parliament. This bill includes stiff penalties for pushing publishes what the government deems as “fake” with multiple years of imprisonment and is seen as a serious clamp down on political discussion on the eve of the upcoming elections.