Electoral System Change for a More Democratic Malaysia? Challenges and Options

Electoral System Change for a More Democratic Malaysia? Challenges and Options

Author: Helen Ting Mu Hung
Publisher: UKM Press
ISBN: 97898672517825
Weight: 0.211kg
Year: 2022
Page: 132
Price: RM30

Party hopping, gerrymandering, malapportionment, women's underrepresentation, limited receptivity of voters towards non-communal political parties - could a change in the current electoral system in Malaysia help rectify these issues as claimed by its advocates? This research assesses the justifications advanced by its proponents in light of relevant experiences of countries around the world. It shows that the arguments put forward by its advocates tend to be mono-dimensional and lack a holistic view of how an alternative electoral system such as a closed-list proportional representation electoral system could also be circumvented, or create other unintended problems under existing political conditions and culture. The author argues that the mother of all electoral reform is to institute an independent and competent election management body. The study also presents the perspectives of the public on an eventual change in the electoral system based on a pioneering survey and other qualitative data.