Domestic election observers in malaysia: A case study of academics as election observers

Abstract

The result of the 14th General Election (GE14) on 9 May 2018 is a historic moment in the development of democracy in Malaysia. More than that, GE14 is also a testament that peaceful transition of power could occur in an electoral system that has always favoured the then government in power, the Barisan Nasional. One of the neglected areas in the academic discussion pertaining to Malaysian electoral process is the election monitoring. The Election Commission of Malaysia has introduced the concept of domestic election observers from GE12 to GE14. In contrast to the participation of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), GE14 witnessed the first involvement of three teams of observers from institutions of higher education. This number has increased to six after six series of by-elections that took place after GE14. This exploratory article assesses the potential and challenges in observing elections with a team comprised of academics. The finding suggests that compare to election monitoring groups such as Gabungan Pilihanraya Bersih dan Adil (BERSIH) 2.0, traditional NGOs or shadow observer groups that are politically affiliated and known for their partisan reputation, academics-based observation team is seen as more capable in terms of providing constructive and balanced inputs on election observation process. Nevertheless, the integrity of the academics-based observation team depends on the appointment of committed and non-partisan members, support given by its respective institutions of higher education and from the Election Commission of Malaysia. The establishment of a comprehensive academic observation team prior to GE15 is another prospect worthy to be explored, based on model implemented in Indonesia and Thailand.