1969 Malaysian general election

General elections were held in Malaysia on Saturday, 10 May 1969, although polling in Sabah and Sarawak was postponed until between 6 June and 4 July 1970.^[1] This was the first parliamentary election in Sabah and Sarawak since the formation of Malaysia in 1963. The ruling Alliance Party, consisting of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) and the Malayan Indian Congress (MIC), retained power but with a reduced majority. The Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan) and the Democratic Action Party (DAP), both of which campaigned against the Bumiputra privileges set out in Article 153 of the Constitution which they considered to be a form of institutional racism, made significant gains.^[2] Voter turnout was 73.6 percent. The opposition collectively won 54 seats, causing the Alliance to lose its two-thirds parliamentary majority for the first time, a threshold required to pass most constitutional amendments.

1969 Malaysian general election

← 1964 10 May 1969 – 4 July 1970 1974 →
← outgoing members elected members →
All 144 seats in the Dewan Rakyat 73 seats needed for a majority
Registered	3,439,707
Turnout	73.59%
First party Second party Third party   Leader Tunku Abdul Rahman Burhanuddin al-Helmy Goh Hock Guan Party Alliance PAS DAP Last election 58.53%, 89 seats 14.64%, 9 seats 2.05%, 1 seat Seats won 74 12 13 Seat change 15 3 12 Popular vote 1,077,499 501,123 286,606 Percentage 44.96% 20.91% 11.96% Swing 13.57pp 6.27pp 9.91pp   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   GER SUP Leader Syed Hussein Alatas S. P. Seenivasagam Ong Kee Hui Party GERAKAN PPP SUPP Last election – 3.40%, 2 seats 3 seats Seats won 8 4 5 Seat change New 2 2 Popular vote 178,971 80,756 72,754 Percentage 7.47% 3.37% 3.04% Swing New 0.04pp –   Seventh party Eighth party Ninth party   Leader Stephen Kalong Ningkan Mustapha Harun Jugah Barieng Party SNAP USNO Pesaka Last election 4 seats 6 seats – Seats won 9 13 2 Seat change 5 7 New Popular vote 64,593 13,634 30,765 Percentage 2.69% 0.57% 1.28% Swing – – New
Prime Minister before election Tunku Abdul Rahman Alliance Prime Minister-designate Tunku Abdul Rahman Alliance

The election also saw the Alliance lose control of the state governments in Perak, Selangor, Penang and Kelantan. The result and its aftermath triggered widespread racial violence in Kuala Lumpur on 13 May 1969, which saw hundreds of deaths, known as the 13 May incident. In response, the federal government declared a state of emergency and suspended parliament, placing the country under the administration of the National Operations Council (NOC) until 1971.^[3] The incident left deep political and social scars and marked a turning point in Malaysian politics.^[3]

The crisis also signalled the end of Tunku Abdul Rahman's more moderate premiership. He was succeeded several months later by Tun Abdul Razak, who pursued a more hard-line agenda and sought to further entrench Malay special rights under the Ketuanan Melayu ideology. Razak's government introduced policies to restructure society in favour of the Malays and sought to consolidate federal control. Among his initiatives was the launch of the New Economic Policy (NEP), an affirmative action program, and the creation of the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, which was separated from Selangor in 1974.^[4] State elections also took place in 330 state constituencies in 12 (out of 13, except Sabah) states of Malaysia on the same day.

Results

Overview

Candidates were returned uncontested in 20 constituencies, with voting in one constituency postponed.^[5] West Malaysia went to the polls on 10 May, with Sabah scheduled to vote on 25 May and Sarawak on 7 June. The Alliance Party secured eight seats on nomination day, being unopposed in several constituencies, while Datu Mustapha Datu Harun's United Sabah National Organisation (USNO) won 10 of Sabah's 16 seats unopposed. At the state level, the Alliance suffered significant setbacks, continuing to lose to the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) in Kelantan and to the newly formed Gerakan in Penang. No party commanded an outright majority in two other states, with the Alliance holding only 14 out of 24 seats in Selangor and 19 out of 40 in Perak.^[2]

The erosion of Malay support for the Alliance Party was more pronounced than that of non-Malays. In West Malaysia, Malay opposition parties saw their vote share rise sharply from around 15 percent in 1964 to 25 percent in 1969, while support for non-Malay opposition parties remained largely unchanged at about 26 percent in both elections. Despite these gains, the electoral system limited their seat increases. PAS rose from nine to 12 parliamentary seats, while the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a predominantly non-Malay party formed from the Malayan remnants of Singapore's People's Action Party (PAP) after the latter's expulsion from Malaysia, expanded from one to 13 seats. These shifts reflected the growing fragmentation of the electorate and signalled deeper political challenges for the Alliance in the years ahead.

Dewan Rakyat

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Alliance Party		United Malays National Organisation	1,077,499	44.96	52	–7
			Malaysian Chinese Association			13	–14
			Parti Bumiputera Sarawak			5	–3
			Malaysian Indian Congress			2	–1
			Sarawak Chinese Association			2	–2
		Total				74	–22
	Pan-Malayan Islamic Party			501,123	20.91	12	+3
	Democratic Action Party			286,606	11.96	13	+12
	Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia			178,971	7.47	8	New
	People's Progressive Party			80,756	3.37	4	+2
	Sarawak United Peoples' Party			72,754	3.04	5	+2
	Sarawak National Party			64,593	2.69	9	+5
	Parti Pesaka Sarawak			30,765	1.28	2	New
	Parti Sosialis Rakyat Malaysia			27,110	1.13	0	0
	Sabah Chinese Association			18,313	0.76	3	–1
	United Sabah National Organisation			13,634	0.57	13	+7
	United Malaysia Chinese Organisation			1,808	0.08	0	New
	Independents			42,904	1.79	1	+1
Total				2,396,836	100.00	144	–15
Valid votes				2,396,836	94.68
Invalid/blank votes				134,605	5.32
Total votes				2,531,441	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				3,439,707	73.59
Source: CLEA[6] Tindak Malaysia Github

Sarawak Alliance contested under Alliance Flag (though not formally under Alliance pact)

Total Electorate (1969): 3843182. Registered voters shown above refer to the contested constituencies (excluding 20 parliamentary uncontested seats

Results by state

Source:Tindak Malaysia Github^[7]

Johore

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Alliance Party		United Malays National Organisation	82,938	42.21	11	0
			Malaysian Chinese Association	49,916	25.40	5	0
		Total		132,854	67.62	16	0
	Democratic Action Party			42,301	21.53	0	New
	Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia			8,211	4.18	0	New
	Pan-Malayan Islamic Party			7,933	4.04	0	0
	Independents			5,183	2.64	0	–
Total				196,482	100.00	16	0
Valid votes				196,482	94.02
Invalid/blank votes				12,505	5.98
Total votes				208,987	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				287,936	72.58

Total Electorate for Johor (1969): 436 620. Above registered voter count is based on electorate of contested seats (excluding 5 uncontested seats)

Kedah

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Alliance Party		United Malays National Organisation	127,580	45.20	7	–3
			Malaysian Chinese Association	23,397	8.29	2	0
		Total		150,977	53.49	9	–3
	Pan-Malayan Islamic Party			115,861	41.05	3	+3
	Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia			15,402	5.46	0	New
Total				282,240	100.00	12	0
Valid votes				282,240	96.21
Invalid/blank votes				11,133	3.79
Total votes				293,373	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				388,167	75.58

Kelantan

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Pan-Malayan Islamic Party			126,409	52.40	6	–2
	Alliance Party		United Malays National Organisation	114,593	47.50	4	+2
	Independents			235	0.10	0	–
Total				241,237	100.00	10	0
Valid votes				241,237	96.94
Invalid/blank votes				7,626	3.06
Total votes				248,863	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				333,754	74.56

Malacca

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Alliance Party		United Malays National Organisation	30,458	28.80	2	0
			Malaysian Chinese Association	21,136	19.98	1	–1
		Total		51,594	48.78	3	–1
	Democratic Action Party			18,562	17.55	1	New
	Pan-Malayan Islamic Party			20,524	19.40	0	0
	Parti Sosialis Rakyat Malaysia			12,436	11.76	0	0
	Independents			2,655	2.51	0	0
Total				105,771	100.00	4	0
Valid votes				105,771	95.87
Invalid/blank votes				4,561	4.13
Total votes				110,332	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				147,765	74.67

Negri Sembilan

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Alliance Party		United Malays National Organisation	24,335	24.37	3	0
			Malaysian Chinese Association	15,350	15.37	0	–2
			Malaysian Indian Congress	6,606	6.62	0	–1
		Total		46,291	46.36	3	0
	Democratic Action Party			35,446	35.50	3	New
	Pan-Malayan Islamic Party			16,299	16.32	0	0
	United Malaysia Chinese Organisation			1,808	1.81	0	0
Total				99,844	100.00	6	0
Valid votes				99,844	93.43
Invalid/blank votes				7,023	6.57
Total votes				106,867	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				142,983	74.74

Total Electorate for Negri Sembilan (1969): 170 128. Above registered voter count is based on electorate of contested seats (excluding 1 uncontested seat of Rembau-Tampin)

Pahang

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Alliance Party		United Malays National Organisation	48,507	60.84	5	0
			Malaysian Chinese Association	0	0.00	1	0
		Total		48,507	60.84	0	0
	Pan-Malayan Islamic Party			19,458	24.41	0	0
	Parti Sosialis Rakyat Malaysia			11,764	14.75	0	0
Total				79,729	100.00	6	0
Valid votes				79,729	94.19
Invalid/blank votes				4,916	5.81
Total votes				84,645	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				119,254	70.98

Total Electorate for Pahang (1969): 176768. Above registered voter count is based on electorate of contested seats (excluding 2 uncontested seats which includes MCA seat)

Penang

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia			83,670	44.55	5	New
	Alliance Party		United Malays National Organisation	45,715	24.34	1	–3
			Malaysian Chinese Association	23,510	12.52	1	–1
		Total		69,225	36.86	2	0
	Democratic Action Party			20,930	11.14	1	New
	Pan-Malayan Islamic Party			13,211	7.03	0	0
	People's Progressive Party			775	0.41	0	0
Total				187,811	100.00	8	0
Valid votes				187,811	94.06
Invalid/blank votes				11,860	5.94
Total votes				199,671	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				257,608	77.51

Total Electorate for Penang (1969): 282401. Above registered voter count is based on electorate of contested seats (excluding the uncontested seat of Bagan)

Perak

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Alliance Party		United Malays National Organisation	97,612	22.91	7	–2
			Malaysian Chinese Association	78,262	18.37	1	–7
			Malaysian Indian Congress	7,985	1.87	1	0
		Total		183,859	43.16	9	–9
	Democratic Action Party			68,651	16.12	5	New
	People's Progressive Party			79,981	18.78	4	+2
	Pan-Malayan Islamic Party			76,158	17.88	1	+1
	Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia			15,641	3.67	1	New
	Independents			1,691	0.40	0	0
Total				425,981	100.00	20	0
Valid votes				425,981	95.08
Invalid/blank votes				22,055	4.92
Total votes				448,036	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				613,572	73.02

Perlis

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Alliance Party		United Malays National Organisation	22,195	51.15	2	0
	Pan-Malayan Islamic Party			18,286	42.14	0	0
	Parti Sosialis Rakyat Malaysia			2,910	6.71	0	New
Total				43,391	100.00	2	0
Valid votes				43,391	96.46
Invalid/blank votes				1,591	3.54
Total votes				44,982	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				56,060	80.24

Sabah

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Sabah Alliance		United Sabah National Organisation	13,634	30.59	13	0
			Sabah Chinese Association	18,313	41.09	3	0
		Total		31,947	71.67	–	16
	Independents			12,626	28.33	0	0
Total				44,573	100.00	16	0
Valid votes				44,573	96.83
Invalid/blank votes				1,458	3.17
Total votes				46,031	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				63,522	72.46

Total Electorate (1969):208861. Above registered voter count only refers to total electorate of 5 seats. Remaining 11 seats were won uncontested

Sarawak

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Sarawak National Party			64,593	26.80	9	0
	Sarawak United Peoples' Party			72,754	30.19	5	0
	Sarawak Alliance		Parti Bumiputera Sarawak	41,835	17.36	5	–
			Sarawak Chinese Association	10,520	4.37	2	–
		Total		52,355	21.73	7	New
	Parti Pesaka Sarawak			30,765	12.77	2	0
	Independents			20,514	8.51	1	0
Total				240,981	100.00	24	0
Valid votes				240,981	90.93
Invalid/blank votes				24,032	9.07
Total votes				265,013	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				332,737	79.65

Sarawak Alliance contested under Alliance Flag

Selangor

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Alliance Party		United Malays National Organisation	59,634	18.58	6	0
			Malaysian Chinese Association	70,245	21.89	2	–3
			Malaysian Indian Congress	11,252	3.51	1	0
		Total		141,131	43.97	9	–3
	Democratic Action Party			100,716	31.38	3	New
	Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia			56,047	17.46	2	New
	Pan-Malayan Islamic Party			23,041	7.18	0	0
Total				320,935	100.00	14	0
Valid votes				320,935	94.39
Invalid/blank votes				19,086	5.61
Total votes				340,021	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				516,984	65.77

Trengganu

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Alliance Party		United Malays National Organisation	63,918	49.99	4	–1
	Pan-Malayan Islamic Party			63,943	50.01	2	+1
Total				127,861	100.00	6	0
Valid votes				127,861	94.98
Invalid/blank votes				6,759	5.02
Total votes				134,620	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				179,365	75.05

State Assemblies

Main article: 1969 Malaysian state elections

Aftermath

Gerakan and the Democratic Action Party (DAP) held a victory rally in Kuala Lumpur on 12 May. The gathering became increasingly disorderly when party members, who were largely Chinese, and Malay bystanders began exchanging racial epithets.^[8] In response and with tensions already running high, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) organised its own rally on 13 May, which escalated into full-scale rioting. The violence that ensued became known as the 13 May Incident, leading to hundreds of deaths.^[8]