A politician from the ruling party in Malaysia has proposed that an electoral reform activist be executed. Outside the home of an opposition state leader, mock funeral ceremonies were conducted. Eggs and rocks were thrown at a political rally. Malaysia has a history of political mud-slinging and scandal, but the recent increase in violent language and actions, particularly targeting the political opposition, has surprised even experienced observers as the country approaches its most fiercely contested election in April. Lim Guan Eng, the ethnic Chinese chief minister of Penang state and a prominent figure in Malaysia's opposition, expressed concerns about the upcoming election being the most corrupt and violent. Members of Perkasa, a group advocating for ethnic Malay rights and with ties to the ruling party, performed a funeral ritual outside Lim's home in May, which his supporters interpreted as a death threat. The escalating political tension coincides with indications that Malaysia's ruling coalition, in power since 1957, may struggle to improve upon its poor electoral performance in 2008, when they lost their two-thirds parliamentary majority, five state governments to the opposition, and saw the ouster of then prime minister Abdullah Badawi. According to a source within the dominant United Malays National Organization (UMNO), recent internal polling results indicate that the coalition is struggling to regain its two-thirds majority and may even lose its simple majority. The polls revealed the coalition's risk of losing more states and facing a closer race than anticipated in southern Johor state, a traditionally strong UMNO stronghold, due to decreasing support from ethnic Chinese. The senior UMNO source expressed concern that this potential loss would be embarrassing, which is why there is a delay in holding elections. Independent polls conducted by the Merdeka Centre show that Prime Minister Najib Razak has a strong approval rating of around 65 percent, but the coalition's popularity is significantly lower at around 48 percent. Najib has delayed calling for the election, which must take place by next April, indicating his uncertain confidence in surpassing the results of 2008. Ooi Kee Beng, deputy director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, stated that UMNO is aware that their grip on power is not guaranteed. He suggested that there is a possibility for change to occur for the first time since 1969, leading to more desperate actions. The country was deeply affected by racial riots in 1969 after significant election gains by ethnic Chinese, resulting in the establishment of economic privileges for ethnic Malays over Chinese and Indian minorities. Relentless hate speech continues as the opposition filed a police report against UMNO lawmaker Mohamad Aziz for suggesting in parliament that leading electoral reform campaigner Ambiga Sreenevasan should be hanged for treason. Despite retracting his statement two days later, the lawmaker was not reprimanded by the party leadership. Sreenevasan, a recipient of an International Woman of Courage award, has reported receiving death threats and has taken measures to ensure her safety, including hiring a bodyguard and installing security cameras at her Kuala Lumpur home. The ethnic Indian activist has also faced calls for her Malaysian citizenship to be revoked and has been labeled the "anti-Christ" by the right-wing Perkasa group. Sreenevasan expressed her disappointment in the persistent hate speech and lack of action from leadership. Following her leadership in a protest for electoral reforms in Kuala Lumpur, she faced further protests outside her home from former soldiers and market traders who claimed financial losses. Some protesters even engaged in disrespectful acts by pointing their buttocks towards her house. People who know Najib well say he is a polite man who does not engage in dirty politics. However, his reluctance to strongly condemn acts of violence and intimidation has been criticized by the opposition for emboldening extremists. Following a controversial comment made in parliament, he cautioned coalition MPs against making statements that could offend other races or parties within the coalition. Malaysia's Home Minister, Hishamuddin Hussein, acknowledged the presence of political intimidation in the current politically charged environment. Lim, a member of the opposition who was detained under the Internal Security Act and imprisoned for sedition, accused the Barisan Nasional of not just tacitly approving but actively supporting and condoning acts of physical intimidation against him. Anwar Ibrahim, another opposition leader who was falsely imprisoned, blamed UMNO for incidents such as a group of youths throwing stones at his car in February. His daughter, opposition MP Nurul Izzah Anwar, also reported violence at one of her rallies in May, where rocks, water bottles, and eggs were thrown resulting in injuries. This is part of a pattern of opposition rallies being disrupted, sometimes violently, in recent months. It is not known who carried out the attacks, but critics of the opposition claim that the police have not been successful in apprehending the culprits or promptly addressing the acts of violence.