The general election held in Malaysia in March 2008 took everyone by surprise and
is arguably regarded as a turning point in the country’s political development. The
ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government lost its two-thirds majority in Parliament
and, for the first time, lost control of five state governments – Kelantan, Kedah,
Penang, Perak and Selangor. The electoral success of the opposition parties has been
attributed to an opposition coalition known as the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) cobbled 1957?