Electoral Reform in Malaysia – A Roundtable Discussion
On 9 May 2018, Malaysia surprised the region and the wider world by voting the ruling party, Barisan Nasional, out of power after 61 years of uninterrupted rule. Following this first ever change of government in Malaysia’s history, many are hopeful that the new government will implement its reform agenda, particularly with regards to reforming the electoral system.
Alan Doss, President of the Kofi Annan Foundation, delivering his opening remarks.
The electoral system of Malaysia has been struggling with numerous problems, including voter registration, gerrymandering, lack of transparency in the voting process, stoking tensions along ethnic and religious lines, and lack of a truly independent Election Commission, to name but a few.
This roundtable, held at parliament in Kuala Lumpur, aims to rally Malaysia’s main political actors, such as members of parliament, civil society representatives and political parties, behind a common agenda on what this reform must look like. To help put the many complicated questions facing the country into context, international experts will share experiences from other countries that may have faced similar challenges in the past.
The roundtable will produce a report with key recommendations, giving Malaysia a roadmap for electoral reform.
The roundtable takes place on 30 November and 1 December 2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is an initiative of these bodies: International IDEA, Global Bersih, Bersih 2.0, IFES, the Parliament of Malaysia and the Kofi Annan Foundation.
The organisers and panelists at the venue which bears great symbolic significance for this event: The parliament of Malaysia.
Please find the roundtable’s agenda here.
Please find the opening remarks of Alan Doss, President of the Kofi Annan Foundation, here.
You can read Alan’s reflections on the roundtable here.
Below please find a selection of media publications covering the event:
The Star: Malaysia a showcase of democracy in the region
IntellAsia: Malaysia a showcase of democracy in the region
The Malaysian Insight: Absentee voting to be a focus at election reform forum
The Sun Daily: EC hopes to announce election results faster
The Malaysian Insight: Electoral system reform not rocket science, says EC chairman
The Edge: Parliament will not interfere with PAC probe on 1MDB — speaker
GovInsider: Exclusive: What do Malaysia’s reformers really want to achieve?
