List of political parties in Malaysia: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 05:58, 13 September 2015

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This article lists political parties in Malaysia. While enjoying regular elections and political stability, Malaysia's institutional systems and infrastructure generally provide for a one-party dominant state in what has been described by observers as being a paradox of semi-authoritarian rule in a participatory political system that has brought about the development of a syncretic state.^[1]

Brief history and overview

Early developments

Early organised political movements in Malaysia were organised along regional and ethnic groups and were not political parties in the modern sense. They generally were loose alliances of interest groups and individuals primarily concerned with social welfare, social progress and religious reform among the Muslim Malay communities similar to interest groups and civil society organisations of today.^[2]

Religious reformers

Religious reformers played a large role in developing and disseminating ideas with magazines and periodicals like al-Imam' published in Singapore by Tahir Jalaluddin between 1906 to 1908, and al-Munir published in PenangbyAbdullah Ahmad between 1911 to 1916. These in turn were primarily influenced by the Egyptian Islamic reform magazine, al-Manar published in Cairo by Rashid Rida from 1898 to 1936.^[3] While these publications were primarily concerned with the Islamic religion, it also touched extensively on the social, political and economic conditions of the Malays.^[4]

Teachers' unions

The Sultan Idris Training College for Malay teachers in Tanjung Malim was fertile ground for the exchange of ideas. The establishment of the Selangor Malay Teachers Association (Malay: Persatuan Guru-guru Melayu Selangor) in 1921 by Muhammad Yusof paved the way for similar organisations to be set up in the other Federated Malay States and a magazine known as Majalah Guru (Teacher's Magazine) was published in 1923. This magazine allowed for the discussion of larger socio-economic issues as well political issues, establishing itself as one of the influences in the development of Malay nationalism.^[7]^[8]

Self-help societies

Various self-help societies like the Maharani CompanyinMuar, Johor and the Serikat Pembaikan Hidup (Malay: Life Improvement Society) organised by Mohamad Eunos Abdullah of the Singapore Malay Union (Malay: Kesatuan Melayu Singapura) established co-operatives and communes to help improve the socio-economic conditions of the Malay peasants and smallholders. They too utilised newspapers and periodicals like the Maharani Company published Perjumpaan Melayu (Malay Convergence) to disseminate ideas and encourage discourse on issues pertaining to the social, political and economic conditions of the Malay people.^[9]^[10]

Early political organisations

Malay Union

The Malay Union (Malay: Kesatuan Melayu; KM) was established in 1926^[11]byMohamad Eunos Abdullah, Tengku Kadir Ali and Embok Suloh with the aim of increasing the role of Malays in public life, upholding Malay interests with the colonial authorities, and promote higher and technical education for Malays.^[12] Eunos himself was a Justice of Peace, a member of the Muslim Advisory Board set up by the colonial administration during World War I and a member of the Singapore Municipal Council. In his capacity as the chairman of the KM, he became the first Malay member of the Legislative Council of the Straits Settlements. One of the first issues championed by the KM was the appeal for land to be set aside for a Malay settlement. The appeal was granted and a sum of $ 700,000 was set aside for the KM to purchase and develop the land. This settlement has evolved and is now part of the Eunos neighbourhood in Singapore.^[13]

Communist Party of Malaya

The first political party to be organised with a pan-Malayan outlook was the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) established in 1930. The CPM was originally set up as a branch of the Comintern supervised by the Far Eastern Bureau of the Communist Party of China in 1926. It was then known as the South Seas Communist Party. The fraternal Communist Party of Indonesia (established in 1924) was by then underground or in exile due to their abortive revolt in 1926. This resulted in the CPM being almost exclusively dominated by people of Chinese descent. Efforts to establish a broader based representation were made especially in the 1935 representative conferences between the CPM and the General Labour Union as well as the establishment of contact with Communist cells in Siam and the Dutch East Indies in 1936. Nonetheless, the CPM remained an organisation that was predominantly Chinese in composition until the Japanese occupation of Malaya which saw a larger participation of people from other ethnicities.^[15]

Young Malay Union

The Young Malay Union (Malay: Kesatuan Melayu Muda; KMM) was established in Kuala Lumpur in 1938 under the leadership of Ibrahim Yaacob. While registered as a social organisation working to improve Malay youths in sports, education, agriculture, health and other recreational pursuits, the primary aim of the KMM was to struggle for the political independence of all the Malayan states from Britain and oppose British imperialism.

While gaining significant support from the larger Malay community, the KMM failed to gain support from the Malay aristocrats and bureaucracy and on the eve of the Japanese invasion of Malaya, more than 100 KMM members were arrested by the authorities for collaboration.

All were released after the fall of Singapore in February 1942. On 14 January 1942, a KMM delegation led by vice-president, Mustapha Hussain, met with the Japanese authorities to negotiate for the independence of Malaya. The Japanese authorities instead disbanded KMM and established the Pembela Tanah Ayer (also known as the Malai Giyu Gun or by its Malay acronym PETA) militia in its stead.

Most who joined PETA were also part of the underground KMM Youth League who continued to struggle for an independent Malaya and some cooperated with the CPM sponsored Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army and other anti-Japanese guerilla units like Force 136 and Wataniah.

The parties

Parties represented in the Parliament and/or the state legislative assemblies

Name in English	Name in Malay	Acronym	Founded	URL
Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party***	Parti Islam Se-Malaysia	PAS	1955	[1]
Democratic Action Party	Parti Tindakan Demokratik	DAP	1966	[2]
National Front Malaysian Indian Congress Malaysian Chinese Association People's Progressive Party Sarawak United People's Party Malaysian People's Movement Party United Traditional Bumiputera Party United Sabah Party ** United Malays National Organisation* Liberal Democratic Party United Sabah People's Party United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party Sarawak People's Party	Barisan Nasional Kongres India Malaysia Persatuan Cina Malaysia Parti Progresif Penduduk Malaysia Parti Rakyat Bersatu Sarawak Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu Parti Bersatu Sabah Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Bersatu Parti Liberal Demokratik Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah Pertubuhan Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Bersatu Parti Demokratik Progresif Sarawak Parti Rakyat Sarawak	BN MIC MCA PPP SUPP GERAKAN PBB PBS UMNO LDP PBRS UPKO SPDP PRS	1973 1946 1949 1953 1959 1968 1973 1985 1988 1988 1994 1994 2002 2004	[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]
Malaysian Workers' Party****	Parti Pekerja-Pekerja Malaysia	PPM	1978
State Reform Party	Parti Reformasi Negeri	STAR	1996	[17]
Socialist Party of Malaysia*****	Parti Sosialis Malaysia	PSM	1998	[18]
People's Justice Party	Parti Keadilan Rakyat	PKR	2003	[19]
Sarawak Workers Party	Parti Pekerja Sarawak	SWP	2012	[20]
Sarawak People's Energy Party******	Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak	Teras	2013

* UMNO, which was originally founded in 1946 was deregistered in 1988 and the Prime Minister of Malaysia formed a new party known as United Malays National Organisation (Baru) on 16 February 1988. The term "Baru" or "New" was removed by a constitutional amendment on July of the same year.
** The United Sabah Party (Parti Bersatu Sabah) was a member of Barisan Nasional from its establishment until its withdrawal from the coalition in 1990. The party rejoined the coalition in 2002.^[19]
*** The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party entered into a coalition with the former Alliance Party in 1972 and subsequently joined the Barisan Nasional coalition when it was founded in 1974. It withdrew from the coalition in 1977.^[20]
**** In August 2015, 6 Members of Parliament of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) declare to joined the dormant party Malaysians Workers' Party (PPM).^[21]
***** In the 2013 Malaysian General Election, the Socialist Party of Malaysia won one seat of Dewan Rakyat (Sungai Siput) under a PKR ticket.
****** In the 2014, One of the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party, Member of Parliament declares to form a new BN-friendly party, and had applied to joins the Barisan Nasional's coalition.

Other parties

Name in English	Name in Malay	Acronym	Founded	URL
Malaysian People's Party	Parti Rakyat Malaysia	PRM	1955	[21]
Malaysian Ceylonese Congress	Parti Kongres Ceylonese Malaysia	MCC	1958	[22]
Pan-Malaysian Islamic Front	Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Se-Malaysia	BERJASA	1977
Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress	Kongres India Muslim Malaysia	KIMMA	1977	[23]
United Pasok Nunukragang National Organisation	Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Pasok Nunukragang Bersatu	PASOK	1978	[24]
Sabah National Party	Parti Kebangsaan Sabah	PKS	1978
Punjabi Party of Malaysia*^[22]	Parti Punjabi Malaysia	PPM	1986
All Malaysian Indian Progressive Front	Barisan Kemajuan India Se-Malaysia	AMIPF	1990
Sabah Progressive Party	Parti Maju Sabah	SAPP	1994	[25]
Malaysian Democratic Party	Parti Demokratik Malaysia	MDP	1998
Malaysian Dayak Congress**	Kongres Dayak Malaysia	MDC	2005
Malaysian Indian United Party	Parti Bersatu India Malaysia	MIUP	2007
Malaysian People's Welfare Party***	Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air	KITA	2010
Love Malaysia Party	Parti Cinta Malaysia	PCM	2009
Malaysian Makkal Sakhti Party	Parti Makkal Sakti Malaysia	MMSP	2009
Human Rights Party	Parti Hak Asasi	HRP	2009	[26]
Malaysian United People's Party	Parti Bersatu Rakyat Malaysia	MUPP	2011
National Alliance Party	Parti Ikatan Bangsa Malaysia	IKATAN	2012	[27]
United Sabah National Organisation Party (New)	Parti Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Sabah Bersatu (Baru)	USNO Baru	2013
The Idea with Sabah People's Party	Parti Gagasan Bersama Rakyat Sabah	Bersama	2013
Sabah National People's Unity Organisation	Pertubuhan Perpaduan Rakyat Kebangsaan Sabah	Perpaduan	2013
Sabah Truth Party	Parti Kebenaran Sabah	Kebenaran	2013
Sabahan Bugis United Party	Parti Bersatu Bugis Sabah	PBBS	2013
Sabah People's Economy Party	Parti Ekonomi Rakyat Sabah	PERS	2013
Sabah Heritage Development Party	Parti Pembangunan Warisan Sabah	PPWS	2013
Love Sabah Party	Parti Cinta Sabah	PCS	2013
Sabah Prosperous Party of Unity Front	Parti Sejahtera Angkatan Perpaduan Sabah	Sapu	2013
Sabah Peace Party	Parti Damai Sabah	SPP	2013
Sabah People's Co-operation Party	Parti Kerjasama Rakyat Sabah	PAKAR	2013
Sabah People's Unity Party	Parti Perpaduan Rakyat Sabah	PPRS	2013
Land of the Hornbills Party	Parti Bumi Kenyalang	PBK	2013
New Sarawak Native People's Party	Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baharu	PBDS Baharu	2013
Economic Sarawak United People's Party	Parti Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak Bersatu	PERSB	2013
Justice of the Peace Coalition People's Party	Parti Rakyat Gabungan Jaksa Pendamai	PRGJP	2013
Malaysian Indian Justice Party	Parti Keadilan India Malaysia	MIJP	2013
New Generation Party	Parti Generasi Baru	NewGen	2013
Malaysian National Party	Parti Nasional Malaysia	MNP	2013
Malaysian Citizen National Party	Parti Nasional Penduduk Malaysia	MCNP	2013

* The Punjabi Party of Malaysia was established in 1986^[22] but only registered with the Elections Commission in 2003.^[23]
** The Malaysian Dayak Congress was organised in 2005^[24] but has failed to obtain registration as a society to date. Candidates of the MDC have participated in elections as Independents or on other party's tickets.^[25]
*** AKIM was later renamed as Malaysian People's Welfare Party (KITA) on 13 December 2010 by its new chairman, Zaid Ibrahim.

Coalition

Past and present coalition and alliance pact of political parties in Malaysia and former Malaya.

Name in English	Name in Malay	Acronym	Symbol	Founded	Dissolved
National Front	Barisan Nasional	BN	File:Barisan Nasional Logo.svg	1973
People's Pact	Pakatan Rakyat	PR		2008	2015
Sabah People's Front	Barisan Rakyat Sabah	SPF		2010
Alternative Front	Barisan Alternatif	BA		1998	2008
Ummah Unity Front	Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah	APU		1989	1996
People's Might	Gagasan Rakyat	GR		1989	1996
Malayan Peoples' Socialist Front	Fron Sosialis Rakyat Malaya	SF		1957	1969
Alliance**	Perikatan	ALLIANCE PERIKATAN	File:Alliance Party logo.png	1951	1973

Unregistered parties

Parties which are not registered, either in the process of registering, or registration application rejected or remain an unregistered political movement.

Name in English	Name in Malay	Acronym	Founded	Dissolved
Hizb ut-Tahrir *	Hizb ut-Tahrir	HT	(1953)
Malaysian Dayak Congress **	Kongres Dayak Malaysia	MDC	(2005)	—
National Student's Party***	Parti Mahasiswa Negara	PMN	(2008)
Malaysian Indian Democratic Action Front****	Barisan Bertindak Demokratik India Malaysia	MINDRAF	(2009)	—

Historic or defunct parties

This list is sorted by the year in which the respective parties were established.

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