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Barisan Nasional (National Front or BN) is a major political coalition in Malaysia. Formed in 1973 as the successor of the Alliance (Parti Perikatan), it has ruled Malaysia uninterrupted (its term as the Alliance included) since independence. The National headquarters is located in the nation's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Barisan National has seats in every state in Malaysia, and is the majority party in 12 out of 13 States and the Federal Territory, the only exception being the state of Kelantan which is still under the control of the minority PAS government.
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Organisation
The vast majority of Barisan Nasional's seats are held by its three largest race-based parties — the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), and the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) — each of which is sectarian in nature, though officially supporting racial harmony. In the view of some scholars,
| “ | Since its inception the Alliance remained a coalition of communal parties. Each of the component parties operated to all intents and purposes, save that of elections, as a separate party. Their membership was communal and their success was measured in terms of their ability to achieve the essentially parochial demands of their constituents.[1] | ” |
Although both the Alliance and Barisan Nasional registered themselves as political parties, membership was only possible indirectly through one of the constituent parties. In the Alliance, one could hold direct membership, but this was abolished with the formation of the Barisan Nasional. The Barisan Nasional defines itself as "a confederation of political parties which subscribe to the objects of the Barisan Nasional". Although in elections, all candidates stand under the Barisan Nasional symbol, and there is a Barisan Nasional manifesto, each individual constituent party also issues its own manifesto, and there is intra-coalition competition for seats prior to nomination day.[2] As of December 2003, Barisan Nasional's member parties are:
- United Malays National Organization (UMNO)
- Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA)
- Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC)
- Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Malaysian People's Movement)
- People's Progressive Party (PPP)
- Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu
- Sarawak United People's Party
- Sabah Progressive Party(SAPP)
- Parti Bersatu Sabah
- Liberal Democratic Party
- Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah
- United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation
- Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party
Party loyalty in Parliament
In 2005, the issue of voting along party lines was brought up when two Barisan National Members of Parliament (MPs), Bung Moktar Radin and Mohamed Aziz, supported a motion by Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) to refer International Trade and Industry Ministry secretary Sidek Hassan to the Committee of Privileges. Deputy Prime Minister Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak, who is also the BN whip in the Dewan Rakyat (lower house of Parliament) had the two MPs referred to the Cabinet for breaking the BN policy of never voting for motions proposed by the opposition. According to Najib, the two MPs apologised for their actions once informed of their mistake. Eventually, the Cabinet settled on a reprimand and with no further action taken.
The National Front and Racial Polarisation
The National Front is sometimes seen as one of the main cause on why the multiracial society remain unintegrated. The racial based party coliation is the core to the other racial based organisation in the country. Racial based societies are even encouraged at school levels. Though the UMNO (United Malay National Organisation) led National Front coliation implemented various projects and activities at all levels to strengthen racial integration but as long as racial politics are practiced in Malaysia, there does not seem any real inspiration within the society towards real integration. The ultimate barrier from forming a single party to replace the coalition certainly is the Bumiputera (son of the soil or generally Malays) special rights which being strongly upheld by UMNO even after strong opposition by the non-Bumiputeras (mainly Chinese and Indian). This recently intensified after a government agency recently published a statistic which showed the Bumiputera have achieved the initial 30% economic equity target in the country as outlined in the first New Economic Policy (DEB) in 1971. The National Front has been the government since the British granted Malaysia independence from British Colonial rule. However, it would appear that any move to dissolve the coalition to form a single party remains at the present time a very difficult task due to strong racial divides in the party system, which is reflective of the general sentiment of Malaysian society.
Notes and references
- ^ Rachagan, S. Sothi (1993). Law and the Electoral Process in Malaysia, p. 12. Kuala Lumpur: University of Malaya Press. ISBN 967-9940-45-4.
- ^ Rachagan, p. 21.
Other references
- Chok, Suat Ling (Oct. 4, 2005). "MPs in the dock". New Straits Times, p. 1, 6.
- Chin, James. 2002. Malaysia: The Barisan National Supremacy. In David Newman & John Fuh-sheng Hsieh (eds), How Asia Votes, pp. 210–233. New York: Chatham House, Seven Bridges Press. ISBN 1-889119-41-5.
- Pillai, M.G.G. (Nov. 3, 2005). "National Front parties were not formed to fight for Malaysian independence". Malaysia Today.
