KUALA LUMPUR, 9 March 2008 — Malaysia’s opposition has claimed several high-profile scalps in yesterday’s general elections, including the sole ethnic Indian minister, according to official data. The daughter of opposition figurehead Anwar Ibrahim, 28-year-old Nurul Izzah Anwar, thrashed powerful incumbent Women, Family and Community Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil in her first-ever tilt at Parliament.
Manoharan Malayalam, an ethnic Indian activist who represents the Chinese-based Democratic Action Party (DAP), was elected from his jail cell — beating the government incumbent in a state seat. Indian Cabinet minister S. Samy Vellu lost his seat in central Perak state that he has held since 1974, state Bernama news agency reported.
According to the Election Commission, the ruling Barisan Nasional (National Front) won a simple parliamentary majority. However, the ruling coalition lost control of three states — Kedah, Penang and Kelantan — the election body said, with results still being tallied.
The opposition is claiming victory in five state assemblies, including Selangor and Perak, while also capturing at least one-third of the seats in federal Parliament.
