The 2004 Ba' Kelalan By-election in Sarawak, East Malaysia: The Lun Bawang Factor and Whither Representative Democracy in Malaysia

In Malaysia, democracy is generally interpreted in electoral terms. Arguably, the current electoral system in Malaysia denies ordinary people their rights to elect their preferred representatives and contributes to the erosion of democracy. The 2004 Ba' Kelalan by-election is a demonstration of the above predicament. This article argues that irregularities in the conduct of the by-election demonstrate how democratic rights had once again been denied. The article also shows how the Lun Bawang community plays a pivotal political role in determining the balance of power among the ethnic groups in Sarawak.