Malaysia's political upheaval: the street view
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysians woke to a new political era on Sunday, having given Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's ruling coalition the fright of its life and the opposition a chance to become a credible check on power.
Here are some comments from the street:
Kay Tze, 27, restaurant manager, Kuala Lumpur
"I expected the number of seats to be reduced, but this was unanticipated. I'm fearful the results would affect business ... There's a lot of uncertainty, but there's also a lot of hope."
Daniel Sia, 27, civil engineer, Kuala Lumpur
"I am shocked. It feels Malaysia is a whole new country. It feels like it has been reborn."
Rozan Rahim, 30-year-old manager, Kuala Lumpur
"I don't think PM should resign, not so soon at least. People learn from their mistakes and become better."
R.V. Samy, 65, newspaper vendor, Kuala Lumpur
"I am very happy that (Indian party chief) Samy Vellu has lost the election. He talked big and did nothing for the Indian community. People have taught him a lesson."
Siew Meng Mooi, food stall hawker, Penang
"I'm shocked that Penang has fallen. I am looking to the opposition to keep to their promise of making Penang a better place, but I am worried about PAS (Islamic party). I hope they didn't impose their Islam on the people."
K.K. Lim, businessman, Penang
"I only expected a strong opposition, not a clean sweep. The opposition alliance has not been tested out yet. Maybe at the bargaining table there might be problems. I think the bigger problem would be relations between the federal and the state governments."
Mohamad Isa Jaafar, 44, building contractor, Kuala Lumpur
"It is not good to have one-sided parliament. The ruling BN (National Front coalition) had become all too powerful and arrogant."
Manjit Kaur, 50, real estate agent, Kuala Lumpur
"The cabinet needed a reshuffle, people wanted to see new faces and that is why you see so many ministers have lost. With the opposition coming into parliament with so many seats, we can expect better decisions. Things will get better now."
Firdaus Abdullah, 25, teacher, Kuala Lumpur
"It has been a fair election. I am not shocked because BN (the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition) failed to resolve many issues such as the prices of goods and fuel, and the issues affecting the Indian community."
Maisarah Zainal, 26, teacher, Kuala Lumpur
"We were concerned about the morality of our leaders. It didn't help that (Health Minister) Chua Soi Lek was involved in a sex video."
(Reporting by Niluksi Koswanage in Penang and Naveen Thukral in Kuala Lumpur; Writing by Bill Tarrant; )
