Even information about past election results are so hard to find - and even information of some political parties that existed before, and had strong popular support is so difficult to find. Many Malaysians have no recollection of the coalition of Opposition parties known as the 'Socialist Front' which was the biggest challenge to the Alliance...
In my quest, I have managed to find some information, which I would now like to share:-
Election Results (Only of how many seats Alliance[UMNO,MCA,MIC], then BN won - no info about what other parties won)
1955 General Election Alliance won 51 out of 52 seats contested (98%)
1959 General Election Alliance won 74 out of 104 seats contested (71%)
1964 General Election Alliance won 89 out of 104 seats contested (86%)
1969 General Election Alliance won 74 out of 144 seats contested (51%)
*** The 1st time that the Alliance (now known as the BN) failed to get 2/3rd majority was in 1969.
Coincidentally, May 13 happens - Emergency - Arrests under the ISA...and a lot of jumping parties happened. The jump then was from the opposition to the BN.
...
The Alliance political formula was widened to become a larger political cooperation under the Malay--non-Malay politics to the whole nation. This concept was spread with the formation of a Coalition Government at the Federal and State levels. This cooperation of various and multiple parties was later institutionalized as BARISAN NASIONAL (BN) and was formally registered on the 1st July 1974. Besides UMNO, MCA and MIC, BARISAN NASIONAL was made up of six other parties, which before this was on the other side of the fence.
Those parties were PAS ( which was later expelled from BN ), Parti Progresif Rakyat ( PPP ), Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia ( GERAKAN ), Sarawak United People's Party ( SUPP ), Parti Pesaka Bumiputra and USNO from Sabah. Only DAP and PSRM refused to join the Coalition. BN, which used the new symbol - the 'dacing' had strengthen and stabilize the Malaysian political situation, and relationship among races had never become closer. Later, other political parties, especially in Sabah and Sarawak joined the BN. These parties are Berjaya from Sabah, SNAP and PBDS from Sarawak.
In the 1990's many new parties surfaced to join Barisan Nasional as a result of the political turmoil in Sabah when PBS walked out of Barisan Nasional. These parties are Akar Bersatu, SAPP, LDP, PBRS and PDS. Today BN consists of 14 parties.
The birth of BN signaled the beginning of a new era for Malaysia which is now ruled by a multiple race component parties, a struggle of the united community. Among the main objective of BN is the struggle to strive for cooperation among races, peace, harmony and justice to ensure Malaysia will continue to develop and prosper, in line with vision 2020.- Source:- Barisan Nasional Penang Website
1974 General Elections BN won 135 out of 154 seats contested (88%)
1978 General Elections BN won 130 out of 154 seats contested (84%)
1982 General Elections BN won 132 out of 154 seats contested (86%)
1986 General Elections BN won 148 out of 177 seats contested (84%)
1990 General Elections BN won 127 out of 180 seats contested (71%)
1995 General Elections BN won 162 0ut of 192 seats contested(84%)
1999 General Elections BN won 148 0ut of 193 seats contested(77%)
(BN only got about 56.53% of total votes cast in 1999)
2004 General Elections BN won 198 0ut of 219 seats contested(90%)
2008 General Elections BN won 140 out of 222 seats contested(63%)
Now, there were some political parties that are no more, and this I believe that the Alliance/BN government had a part to play in that.
Amongst these political parties, which once were there and today is no more, are the
Labour Party -formed in 1950's, formed the Malayan Peoples' Socialist Front(or just Socialist Front) on 26/8/1958 with the Partai Rakyat (later known as the Parti Rakyat Malaysia). The SF further consolidated its gains in municipal elections including the City Council of George town, Penang where it won 14 of the 15 seats in the Council during the 1961 Local Elections...
National Convention Party
Parti Negara
United Democratic Party..
* We really have to have proper accurate and independent historical records - so that we can all know what is "historical facts". Many do and will dispute what that Penang UMNO Division leader calls "historical facts"....
** Crackdown by the government on the Socialist Front parties came about in early 60s - and I believe that finally the Labour Party was banned, etc... Only Party Rakyat Malaysia survived this era...
Many of the personalities from these 'demised' parties joined other parties - including also the newly formed GERAKAN.
Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia was formed on 24th March 1968. The six founders of the party were Professor Syed Hussain Alatas of the University of Singapore, Dr. David Tan Chee Khoon, Member of Parliament for Batu, Selangor and former leader of the Labour Party, Dr. J.B.A. Peter, President of the Malaysian Medical Association, Dr. Lim Chong Eu, Member of Parliament for Tanjong, Penang and former President of the United Democratic Party, Professor Wang Gungwu of the University of Malaya, and Mr. V. Veerapan, legal practitioner and former leader of the Labour Party. In its initial stage, the party had drawn its main support from members of the dissolved United Democratic Party, and the English-educated moderates of the Labour Party. Source: Parti Gerakan Malaysia website
Like the British colonialist, this BN government continues to belittle the freedom fighters of Malaysia that fought the Japanese when the British put their tail between their legs and ran...
Those who stayed and fought for independence from Japanese also set up government thereafter and were able to govern... until they were removed by the returning British colonial government.... 'Communist' was one of the brands used - and many still see 'communists' as very very bad - not really knowing why they were potrayed as 'bad' by the returning British after World War II. Do you know about the Malaysian Peoples Anti-Japanese Army(MPAJA)? Did you know that historical bad relationship between the Japanese and Chinese resulted in Malaysian Chinese being most badly treated compared to the other ethnic groups in Malaysia - resulting also the fact that there were very high numbers of Chinese who were in the MPAJA? Did you know that the 'communist' were the MPAJA or at least a big component of the MPAJA? Do you wonder why all this is not in the History Books that you read?
The belief that the Alliance/BN had never lost its 2/3rd majority is yet another myth. In 1969, they just managed to get 51% of the seats - far worse than in 2008 General Elections.
And what did UMNO-MCA-MIC do -- they got MPs and political parties from the Opposition to jump to their side -- the Alliance(which later had a name change to Barisan Nasional)
Hence, it is hypocritical for some in the BN now to say what they have been saying about MPs and ADUNs who may choose to leave the BN and/or its component parties and maybe join the Opposition Pakatan Rakyat...
People chose the person - the said MP or the ADUN as the Wakil Rakyat - and the Wakil Rakyat may have to do what is best for the people he represents.
There will be no question of a violation of the mandate given by the people - but of course, if you say the people actually voted party and not the candidate, then maybe it is different.
But the people is supposed to vote the candidate - the person. Of course, who he is and what his politics is and what party he runs under may have an influence of the voters choice - but at the end of the day, it is the person that is chosen as the wakil rakyat (the peoples' representative). I have always said that the 'wakil rakyat' first and foremost loyalty must always be to the people - his constituents.
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