CALD Resolution No. 1 S. 2018

CALD resolution welcoming the peaceful transfer of power in Malaysia and its implications for the Asian region

The Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD):

Aware that the 14^th Malaysian General Elections (GE14) held on 9 May 2018 resulted in the victory of the opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan (PH) over the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN), which had been in power for the past 61 years;

Mindful that PH and its allied parties won a total of 122 out of 222 parliamentary seats in the recent elections, which meant that the coalition surpassed the 112 seats required to form a government;

Aware that PH also made significant inroads in state elections, having secured victories in Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Johor and Kedah, while retaining Penang and Selangor;

Cognizant that as a result of PH’s historic victory, Dato’ Seri Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad and Dato’ Seri Dr. Wan Azizah binti Wan Ismail have been sworn in as Malaysia’s new prime minister and deputy prime minister respectively; and

Mindful that the newly constituted Malaysian government also moved swiftly to request for a royal pardon for jailed opposition leader Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim, which resulted in his release from prison on 16 May 2018.

Hereby:

Welcomes the peaceful transfer of power in Malaysia and its implications not only for the country’s democratic development and progress but also for that of the entire Asian region;

Commends the Malaysian people’s vigilance in ensuring that the results of the elections reflect the people’s will, and hopeful that the same level of vigilance will be observed in monitoring the decisions and actions of the new government;

Expresses optimism and confidence that the winds of democratic change that have swept across Malaysia will soon reach other countries in the Asian region, particularly those which have been dominated by single-party regimes for decades; and

Reaffirms its conviction that the presence of strong opposition political parties, which can competitively contest in free and fair elections, and can practically take turn to become government according to the will of the people, is one of the hallmarks of a true, mature, and functioning democracy.

For the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats:

Abhisit Vejjajiva                                                  Kiat Sittheeamorn

Chairperson                                                          Secretary General

Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats       Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats

23 May 2018

Categorised in: Resolutions

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