
People occasionally ask me what some of the decisive issues in Malaysia's upcoming elections are going to be. Invariably, I echo the usual suspects: race and corruption. The common reaction to this short but graphic list is: "Really? Nothing about the economy?"
In the run-up to what is widely expected to be the tightest election race in the country's history, issues regarding the economy are going under the radar. Long aggrieved by institutionalised racism in the form of wide-reaching affirmative action policies and widespread corruption, a large amount of public sentiment continues to be defined by these topics. A good overview of these sentiments can be seen in this special reportage by Al Jazeera's 101 East programme. The themes in debate were race, media censorship, corruption, electoral fraud, and Islamic hudud law – sentiments widely reflected in the blogosphere and general public opinion. Many are old themes, much batted about since the 2008 elections.
In the run-up to what is widely expected to be the tightest election race in the country's history, issues regarding the economy are going under the radar. Long aggrieved by institutionalised racism in the form of wide-reaching affirmative action policies and widespread corruption, a large amount of public sentiment continues to be defined by these topics. A good overview of these sentiments can be seen in this special reportage by Al Jazeera's 101 East programme. The themes in debate were race, media censorship, corruption, electoral fraud, and Islamic hudud law – sentiments widely reflected in the blogosphere and general public opinion. Many are old themes, much batted about since the 2008 elections.
But according to studies by Merdeka Centre, these sentiments are not the complete picture. In a December 2012 poll, the independent polling agency found that economic well-being and personal security top voter concerns. If this is the case, why is it that the media and general public debate continue to skirt around economic issues and crime?