Adam said while the Malays did not effect a large-scale change at the time, the group, which forms the majority in states like Perak and Selangor, contributed to both states being won by the opposition in 2008.

He said the ground had also shifted in Malay majority areas like Balik Pulau and Bayan Baru that year with both falling to PKR, in addition to the seats won by DAP, the dominant party in Penang.

“People are always talking about how 2008 was a Chinese tsunami, or an Indian tsunami, but it is not just that. 2008 was a manifestation of how the Malay ground had already shifted.

“2008 also saw the fall of Kedah to the opposition. The Malays there decided to vote for PAS as their state government,” he said at a forum titled “GE14: Will the Malay Ground Shift” held at the Penang Institute here last night.

He added that any shift in Malay ground in the coming general election (GE14) would likely be bigger than that of the 13th general election in 2013.

In 2008, the government lost its two-thirds majority in Parliament for the first time since the 1969 general election. It also lost an unprecedented four state governments.

This was a dramatic reversal from the 2004 general election, when Barisan Nasional (BN) won 90% of the parliamentary seats.

In 2013, BN lost its two-thirds majority as well, this time with a reduced seven parliamentary seats from the 140 it had won in 2008.